Eternal Winter: Destiny Bond
by Pika-Zukin
Summary: If we could understand our pokemon, maybe the world would be a better place... [an original trainers and secondary anime characters story]
1. The Saint of Dragons

**Chapter 1 - The Saint of Dragons**

Thunderous applause and endless cheers filled the stadium. The boy and his weary exeggutor stood triumphant, though his face displayed nothing but impassiveness. As cameras zoomed in on him, announcers decided he must be feeling a mix of emotions -- pride, relief, mental exhaustion. He finally moved his head as paper streamers and confetti rained upon the field, a symbol of the tournament's end. The exeggutor shook her heads as thin colored paper curled around her long fronds.

Her trainer spoke to her, and she leaned down so he could pick the streamer from her leaves. The announcers were bantering about the sportsmanship and camaraderie of this year's Indigo League finals, the best they'd ever seen, especially after last year's. Approaching the winner was the second-place finalist, holding out his hand. Above them, they could be seen enlarged on huge television screens.

"You did great," the second-place winner, another boy, said. "This is my third try at the finals, but I've never gotten this far. I'm honored to have been defeated by a trainer like you."

They shook hands. "Thanks," said the champion. "You did well yourself. I'm sure you'll win next time."

"Wow, you think?" The other boy's cheeks flushed. "I'll never give up! I was born to be a League champion!" He puffed out his chest confidently. "Well, let's go get ready for the awards ceremony. There's always a ton of food."

The winner watched him depart, hanging back for a few moments and watching the last of the confetti settle on the stadium floor. The exeggutor's three heads took turns trying to blow another streamer out of her leaves.

----

"Well, that's another tournament over," Professor Oak commented, standing and stretching his back. "Too bad Ash didn't stick around. He could have made it this year."

Tracey gave a noncommittal "hmm" and stared at the television, where announcers gave a recap of the final battle's most climactic scenes. The winner was a young teenage boy with whitish-blond hair and an emotionless demeanor. Tracey liked his choice of exeggutor in the final round. It was a weird-looking pokemon; not exactly popular with kids.

"Ah, well," said Professor Oak. "Some people just have to see the world."

"And dump their pokemon on us when carrying them is an inconvenience?" Tracey mumbled.

The professor rolled his eyes and shook his head. Tracey smiled, grateful that they were on the same page about it. After all, this was a research facility, not a day-care center for irresponsible trainers.

A ring of the doorbell grabbed their attention. "I'll get it," Professor Oak announced, smiling expectantly. Their most frequent visitor was Delia. Tracey remained on the couch, deep in thought.

"Gary!" The elderly researcher's voice rang from the other room. "What are you doing back so soon?"

With a start, Tracey fled the den, slamming into the doorframe of the bathroom to which he raced. He rubbed his shoulder, staring desperately into the mirror. Shaggy, dark green hair was pushed back from his forehead with his old, faded red headband. The baggy blue t-shirt was only slightly less old, but the knee-length brown shorts were at least new from spring. Tracey winced at himself and yanked the headband off. He wanted his hair long, but it bothered him to have it graze his face as he went about his chores. He wouldn't be working now, though. He brushed his hair hastily, frowning at a shorter lock which fell over his right eye. Too short to tuck behind the ear; he'd have to leave it. He turned his head from side to side, wishing his hair was long enough for a ponytail.

"My training in Johto was really enlightening," Gary was saying as Tracey came around the corner. He didn't falter even as he glanced at his grandfather's assistant. "So I think I know what I want to do now."

"Training?" Professor Oak asked. "Will you be after new badges? Or new pokemon for me to look at?"

"No, Grandpa," Gary said with a grin, shaking his head. "I got my fill of that a couple of years ago here in Kanto. I meant that I was training my mind. I spent a lot of time in temples, learning how to meditate. And I thought a lot about my future."

"Oh?" the professor prompted.

"Pokemon tournaments are fun and all, but you have to join the real world eventually. So I've decided to put everything I've learned about pokemon to good use -- I want to be a professor, so I can pass on my knowledge."

Professor Oak laughed heartily, clapping Gary on the back. "How about that? I didn't think any of mine would follow in my footsteps! You'll continue my work after I retire, huh?"

Tracey's heart plunged into his stomach at that very moment. Two years of working by Samuel Oak's side had convinced the professor that Tracey would be his successor in pokemon academia. He sacrificed many of his own interests to handle a lot of dirty work around the lab: feeding and cleaning up after all the pokemon (half of them Ash's), taking messages from colleagues of Professor Oak's, typing out reports late at night. Tracey had earned a little recognition by now, but his spotlight was about to be usurped by Gary, who waltzed in and announced on a whim that he'd like to join the club. And he'd get in just by name alone.

Why had he made a big deal about looking presentable? It was, once again, obvious that Gary would never acknowledge him as anything more than the lab assistant.

"Well, hopefully that won't be for a long time," Gary replied to his grandfather's question.

"We'll see about that! Retirement sounds better and better lately!" Professor Oak laughed boisterously. "I'd say this calls for a special dinner. Tracey, run next door and see what Delia thinks. And give her a hand. I'm sure she'll need it!"

"Uh..." Tracey started to say, dumbfounded. "Yeah." He watched Professor Oak lead Gary inside, chattering away about his latest finding. Gary looked over his shoulder at Tracey -- not a hostile look, but one that was unreadable in its brevity.

The assistant sighed and left, trudging to Delia's house down the lane. He found her outside, weeding her garden. "Hello, Tracey," she greeted cheerfully. "You took off your headband."

"Yeah, it clashes," he muttered, staring at the colorful flowers.

"Whatever is the matter?" Delia sat upright on her knees, wiping her forehead with the back of a gloved hand. The sunlight gleamed on her auburn hair.

"I'm fine." Tracey stood up straighter, trying to smile. "Just tired. Anyway, Gary's back."

"That's great!" Delia beamed. "Oh, I'll have to make a nice dinner for all of us! How does that sound?"

"I was sent to give you a hand with that, actually."

"How about that?" The young mother kept smiling as she stood up, brushing dirt and blades of grass from her shins. "I guess I read Sam's mind." She giggled girlishly. Following her inside, Tracey smirked. It didn't take a pokemon watcher to figure out that Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum were more than friendly neighbors.

"So what's Gary doing back so soon?" she asked, washing her hands in the kitchen sink.

Tracey's amusement faded. "Oh... I'll let him tell you himself. It's pretty big news."

"That sounds exciting! We'd better hurry."

"Yeah," Tracey said under his breath as Delia investigated the fridge. "Really exciting."

----

"He's not even smiling," the second-place winner's mother observed. In the grand dining hall, journalists and photographers swarmed the champion, drilling him with questions and snapping picture after picture. "How about some love over here?" she shouted, though they couldn't have heard her. "Honestly, you should have won, honey... oh, not that we're not proud of you, we are!" She smothered her son in a tight hug.

"Mom, it's okay," he said. "I'm glad I lasted as long as I did. I think he's a psychic, so I'm surprised he didn't just crush me in our first round."

"Psychics," his dad scoffed. "Seems like any kid with an abra thinks he's _psychic _all of a sudden."

A few feet away from them, amidst the commotion, the champion's mother nudged him as she and her husband leaned close to either side of him for a final photograph. "Smile," she whispered.

He turned the corner of his mouth up as the flash went off. "Okay, I think we're done," said the reporter for _The Viridian Times_. "Thanks for your time, Dominik. We'll let you get back to your dinner."

"You're welcome," he returned, blinking rapidly as he picked up his fork. _All those flashes made me blind._

Even within the confines of her pokeball, in a state of suspended animation, the mind of Leilani the exeggutor was linked to her trainer's. _But they're done now? _she asked.

_I think so. I'm not even hungry. This place is too crowded._

_You can always wrap up your feast to give to your hard-working pokemon._

Dominik smiled briefly at her wry tone. _I'm glad I have you for company. I wish I could reach the others, too._

_What, I'm not enough for you? _Leilani then dropped her teasing. _None of them are psychic, though. Their minds do not work like yours and mine. Of course we understand each other._

_But it doesn't seem fair. All pokemon have complex minds. It's a fact that they're much more intelligent than other animals._

_I wasn't referring to intelligence._

Dominik picked at his food with a fork, unaware of his mother's reproving look. _Too bad it's not the same for people, _he told Leilani. _I wish I had someone to teach me what to do. I feel like I should be able to do all kinds of things, if I have such an advanced mind._

_You'll figure it out eventually, _Leilani reassured him. _You're young yet._

Something caught Dominik's attention then, bringing him out of his trance-like inner conversation. People were murmuring and staring at the hall's entrance, as if an important newcomer had just arrived fashionably late. "That's Lance," a girl near Dominik whispered to her friend. "He won the tournament years ago, but he always shows up to these events. I've never seen any other former champions here."

"What's with that cape?" The girls hid giggles behind their hands.

A confident-looking young man in his early twenties, coppery hair swept away from his face as if wind-blown from flying, Lance approached the champion's table. He had been careful not to look at anyone as he strode through the hall. Locking eyes with the new champion had greater impact; Lance only saw what he wanted.

"Are you Dominik?" he asked. It was a formality. Of course the boy was Dominik. He raised a eyebrow in response, waiting for Lance to get to the point.

"I saw your battle, and I was very impressed," Lance went on. "I wonder if I might have a word with you outside."

The dining hall stirred with even more talk, more notice of the former champion. Lance effortlessly tuned out the mindless chatter as he awaited his answer. Despite the din, Dominik felt no need to raise his voice. "Okay," he said simply, rising from his seat. He glanced at his parents to be awarded a smile from his mother and a nod from his father.

They left the banquet, crossing the foyer towards the balcony, which overlooked the Viridian countryside from several stories up. "Much too crowded in there for a talk," Lance remarked. "Or for eating, or even breathing." He looked over his shoulder at Dominik, who didn't say anything; he kept his eyes downcast, his hands stuffed into his jeans pockets. It was a front, a teenage facade of nonchalance. Lance knew all too well that Dominik was overjoyed to leave the silly feast, and interested in whatever they were going to discuss.

Lance rested his elbows on the balcony railing. He didn't expect Dominik to stand beside him and share the view, so he didn't bring it up. Instead, he got right to the point. "What will you do now, Mr. Champion of the Forty-Seventh Annual Indigo League Tournament?"

"What do you mean, what will I do now?" Dominik asked, slightly amused by the grandiose question. "Go home with my parents and start summer vacation."

Lance nodded, expecting something like that. "And what do you _want _to do?"

Dominik seemed perplexed. Clearly, he had never considered his wishes. Lance smiled. They never did.

"I'd like to keep training pokemon," Dominik replied, sooner than Lance expected. "But not for competition, like this. The part I liked best was the traveling, though it seems like once you've been to one city, you've been to them all. I enjoyed the wilderness more."

"You have a gift, you know."

"You don't have to tell me."

They exchanged a smile. "I meant beyond that. Psychic pokemon are best handled by psychics, but the relationship between you and your exeggutor is deeper still. And she is your only psychic-type."

"I've had her longest," Dominik said. "And I saved her life."

"Ah." Lance nodded. "Still, I think your extraordinary powers should be developed. And the best way is to train with psychic pokemon. You know that, don't you?"

"Yeah. Sabrina gave me the same advice, but I didn't really want to be type-exclusive. A varied team has a greater battle advantage."

"And that was somewhat of a problem for you, wasn't it? Your Indigo League Challenge was too easy, too dull?"

Lance saw from Dominik's slight flinch that he was absolutely correct. "You could try again," he said. "There's a League in Johto, too. You might like it better there. It's more traditional, more natural."

"Maybe," was all the boy gave for an answer.

"What are your other options?" Lance asked, trying to hide his impatience.

"Well," said Dominik, "I was excused from this school year to participate in the League, and my grades were so good that I don't have to make up the year I skipped. So I'll go straight into high school in Septem--"

"High school?" Lance interrupted. "You're psychic. You bond deeply with your pokemon. You're a _League Champion_. You don't belong with common teenagers in high school."

Dominik gave him a skeptical look.

"Do you really want to?" Lance pressed. "Is it your choice to enter high school, or are you going along because someone wants you to? Your parents, your principal?"

Dominik shrugged. "It's just what you do. The Kanto schoolboard provides the means to educate the public, so we take advantage of it."

"Educate you about what? You already know more about what really matters than what they could teach you in school," Lance said. "What happens when you're done with it? You forget all the stuff they taught you, so you've wasted all those years learning useless facts when you could have been doing something valuable. School doesn't prepare you for the real world, Dominik. It's out there." With a sweeping motion of his arm, Lance indicated the river and forest below, the star-filled sky beyond.

"But don't you complete school in order to get a good job?" Dominik asked. "I know it's dull and meaningless, but you have to play along if you want to get anywhere."

"Get anywhere in a dull and meaningless future, you mean," Lance told him. "I'm not trying to convince you to drop out, please understand. I just think a brilliant person like you shouldn't have to settle for society's conventions. The world of pokemon needs more trainers who truly care about what they do, and I can tell just from watching you at the tournament that you respect your pokemon much more than the average young trainer."

"So you're trying to recruit me as a gym leader or something?"

"Not at all. I'm just letting you know that there are people who base their entire careers around pokemon, and you seem more like the type who would enjoy that rather than something more mundane."

"What do you do?"

Lance puffed out his chest a little, a proud stance. "I'm a dragon tamer for life. Nothing makes me happier than knowing I dedicate my life to the most ancient and revered species of pokemon."

"Are you a psychic, too?"

"Well, one can argue that everyone's a little psychic," Lance answered with a mysterious smile. "And some people just know how to tap into their mental abilities, while some people would rather work at getting along in the physical world."

Dominik raised a pale blond eyebrow.

"Just like some people -- most of them, in fact -- win tournaments by training their pokemon to learn powerful attacks, and some people win tournaments because they truly understand their pokemon. And not just in the literal sense, like how you are able to speak mentally with yours." Lance smiled. "You and I both know which kind of person you are. So what are you going to do with yourself, knowing that?"

Dominik looked out at the countryside for a few moments. "I'll think about it," he said. "But I can't decide what to do with the rest of my life now. I'm only thirteen."

"You don't have to," Lance told him. "But you always have a choice. So follow your heart."

Dominik nodded and returned to the banquet. Lance watched him go with a look of satisfaction. The future was looking very positive, indeed.


	2. Fighting Instinct

**Chapter 2 - Fighting Instinct**

"Look, here are the winners of the tournament." Mrs. Haruna held out the morning newspaper for her daughter to view. Erika, her fork in mid-lift, glanced up briefly and nodded, continuing to eat her lunch and pore over her monthly earnings report. "You don't remember any of these kids, do you?" The lightness of her tone and obvious amusement made Erika roll her eyes. "They're all so unique, you know," Mrs. Haruna continued. "Armed with their charmeleon and pidgeot."

"Where do kids get such pokemon, anyway?" Erika huffed, not looking up from the paper in her hand. "I know every young trainer needs a pokemon to start out with, but why dangerous fire-breathing ones? They always pick charmander, and they're a real nuisance to my grass-types!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

"Most young people prefer direct power over special side effects," Mrs. Haruna said. "You've known that since you were ten."

"It just seems so... wrong. Who decided that middle-school-age kids could handle these dangerous pokemon?" Erika sighed loudly, blowing her bangs in the process. "Oh, well. I'm just glad that the majority of training is done for the season. I can finally concentrate more on my shop."

"You don't _have_ to be a gym leader, you know. I'd rather see you devote your time completely to your business. It makes you happier."

Erika frowned at her report, but not for any of the numbers. "Somebody has to set an example," she replied. "No one else in the Indigo League respects pokemon the way I do."

Before Mrs. Haruna could respond, a young maid approached the table. "Phone call for you, Miss Erika," she said. "It's Professor Fern."

"Oh!" Erika jumped up, calling thanks to the maid. She dashed to the downstairs office, in which there sat the closest video phone. A woman with a blond ponytail and glasses waited patiently on the monitor. Erika picked up the receiver and greeted her. As a grass-type specialist from Hoenn, a long-distance call from Professor Fern was an honor.

"Hello, Erika. How are you this afternoon?" she asked politely.

"I'm fine, and how are you?" Erika returned. She had been eagerly awaiting this call.

"Good, thank you. But I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news about the roselia formula."

Erika held her breath, afraid of hearing this.

"We can't keep any of the roselia under control." Professor Fern pushed her glasses up her nose. "None of my assistants can extract any essence without getting a face full of stun spore. We might have to resort to finding someone who would be willing to let us use a trained one. Of course, the scent won't be as potent."

The gym leader sighed. She had hoped to start developing her _Eau de Roselia_ perfume over the summer, soon to be released as a unique scent unlike anything else in Kanto. Now it would have to wait.

"Erika," Mrs. Haruna whispered from behind her, only to be waved into silence.

"Are you sure it's impossible?" she asked Professor Fern.

"Well, no one wants to try again. Maybe if I could round up some new interns..."

"Erika!" Mrs. Haruna hissed. "Were you done with lunch?"

"No." She grew increasingly annoyed.

"Gerard thought you were, and he's furious again. He thinks he's unappreciated."

Erika groaned. "I'm on the phone, Mother. I'll finish lunch in a minute."

"He took your plate away. I could hear him raving from the kitchen about slaving away for hours on his food..."

"What? My lunch!"

"Erika?" Professor Fern spoke up. "It's your call. What do you want us to do?"

Erika whipped around to the video phone again. Interrupting the woman whose respect she dearly wanted to earn was not what she had in mind for this afternoon. "Keep trying, please. Wild roselia only. There's no point if they're domesticated."

"Wild roselia?" Mrs. Haruna asked. "Won't that be expensive?"

"I can handle it, Mother!" Erika snapped, then blushed as she realized how impolite that must have sounded. "Please, Professor, I'll cover all the expenses. I really want that scent."

"We'll think of some way to get it," Professor Fern reassured her. "I'll let you know as soon as we come up with something."

"Thank you very much. 'Bye." Erika hung up, sighing again.

"Well, I _thought_ your shop made you happier than running that gym," Mrs. Haruna said.

"It does when things go right." Erika toyed with her bangs, trying to regain her composure.

"Do apologize to Gerard sometime before dinner, please," said her mother, turning to leave the room. "I don't want him to quit."

"He's not that great of a cook, anyway," Erika mumbled when she moved out of earshot. She stood for awhile, mulling over the roselia situation, when the computer emitted a beep, an email notification. She reluctantly brought it up, expecting something from the League. Instead, she found a frighteningly short message from a friend. _Milady Erika, I have decided it is time to renew my quest. I shall see you soon, before I set out into the world once more._

She sank down in her desk chair and rubbed her temples. "Oh, Midori," she sighed. "You picked a bad time for theatrics."

----

The mankey took slow steps, holding the tray very still. A steaming cup of green tea rested on it, and she resolved not to spill a drop. She squeaked under her breath, eyes narrowed at the cup as if forcing it to be still.

Her master sat at the dining room table, forehead resting against his propped-up hands. His fingers were locked together, and his blue eyes were focused on some point in the distance, thinking instead of seeing. The mankey had heard the loud discussion earlier, master arguing with his parents. It seemed to be occurring more frequently.

She stopped beside him and squeaked aloud. He lifted his head, alerted by the sound which interrupted his thoughts, then identified her and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Kuri-chan," he said, reaching for the tea. He sighed deeply, which blew away steam from the cup.

Kuri wished she could speak like a human, or at least make him understand her. Instead, she uttered a sympathetic sound, causing her master to smile a little more. He scratched the fur behind her ears, her favorite spot. "I'm just like you," he said quietly. "No fighting instinct at all."

At the faint knock from the front door, he got up and grudgingly answered. A boisterous voice echoed throughout the entrance. "Greetings to you, Sir Yamada!"

He grinned in spite of himself. "Hail, Master Rougan," he replied, though with much less vigor.

A tall young man, though shorter by a few inches compared to the towering Hiroyuki Yamada, Midori's long red hair was only outshined by his wide smile. At his feet sat a petite meowth, blinking lazily and peering inside at the approaching mankey. "Greetings to you too, Kuri-chan," Midori said to her. She squeaked happily and swished her long tail.

Closing the door behind him and unlacing his black boots, Midori asked, "How fare you today?"

"Fine," Hiroyuki answered vaguely.

Midori took note of his deflated tone and clapped him on his wide shoulder. "Take heart. After much deliberation, I feel I can continue my grand quest."

It took Hiroyuki a moment to remember what "the quest" meant. "Still?" he asked.

"I've contacted the lady Erika, so she may lend me her senses in locating everyone. Soon, all will be assembled!" He flung out his arms, and his black trench coat flapped effectively.

Hiroyuki sighed. "What?" Midori asked. "Though you lack the gift, you can surely come with me. I shall need companionship -- human, that is --" he paused, glancing at his meowth-- "on my long journey through the lands. What do you say?"

Running his fingers through his short brown hair, Hiroyuki sighed again. "I can't drift across the whole country. I have to look for work."

"You have your whole life to work!" Midori scoffed. "Accompany me for now."

"No, it's not like that. My parents still don't believe I can make it as a chef. They say if I don't have a job by the end of summer, they'll send me to Saffron... to the family dojo. They want me to train with Kuri and uphold their fighting legacy."

"All the more reason to join me! Kuri-chan would enjoy the sights, I'm sure."

"Midori..." Hiroyuki said steadily. "I can't."

Midori's shoulders sagged, but he smiled knowingly. "'Tis your choice, of course. I wish you luck in your own quest."

Hiroyuki smiled half-heartedly. "You too." He glanced at Midori's boots resting by the door. "Would you like to come in?" he offered wryly. "Have some cake?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" Midori grinned widely.

They started for the kitchen when they heard a booming voice. "Hiroyuki!" Kuri squealed and darted behind her master's legs, hiding. Midori's meowth ruffled her fur, looking up disdainfully.

Dressed in his karate _gi_, Master Yamada stood taller and more muscular than his son. He approached the front door, where the boys stared at him, frozen in their tracks. "It is time for my afternoon training," he informed them. "You will accompany me and see how it is done. Midori." He glanced at their guest, nodding solemnly.

"Yamada-sensei," Midori greeted him with utmost politeness.

"Midori is leaving town soon," Hiroyuki said. "And he offered to go with me while I started job-hunting, so we're going to be busy." Midori nodded, catching on right away.

"That will come later. Now is the time for training." Master Yamada adjusted the pokeball at his black belt.

Hiroyuki exchanged a look with Midori, but didn't argue further. "Come on, Kuri-chan," he coaxed the mankey, following his father outside. Midori hastily pulled on his boots, not bothering to tie them again, and chased after them, his meowth at his feet.

The back yard consisted of a wide, flat stretch of grass, with a woodsy area in the near distance. The Yamada family resided in a secluded neighborhood, the town being several miles away. Hiroyuki's annoyance marred this tranquil scenery. Master Yamada took in a deep breath, then released his pokemon training partner, a hitmonlee. Immediately it began bouncing a little on its springy legs, kicking the air to warm up.

"It is always best to have a strong pokemon to help you test yourself," said the fighting master. "In your case, it would be better to have a primeape. Mankey are no better than fuzzy housepets."

Kuri sniffed noses with Midori's meowth. Hiroyuki scowled at his father's words.

"Observe." Master Yamada launched a kick towards his hitmonlee, who blocked it with its powerful leg. They danced around the lawn in a circle, exchanging kicks at record speeds, equally matched. Hiroyuki watched sulkily until Midori tapped his shoulder, motioning behind them. Kuri and the meowth were chasing each other playfully, and their owners grinned.

"Hiroyuki!" barked his father. "Perhaps you would like to take up the challenge here."

"I don't think that's necessary. I can learn more just by watching you."

"That wasn't a request for your opinion. Come, let's see how you hold your own this time."

Hiroyuki clenched his fists. "You can't talk to me that way anymore!" he exploded. "I'm nineteen, and I'm an adult! You don't control me!" He spun around and stalked back to the house, startling the pokemon as he passed them.

Midori caught up with him moments later, Kuri and meowth following. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Where are you headed?" Hiroyuki asked, pausing and staring at the ground in quiet rage. "After you leave here."

"To see Erika," Midori replied. "But after that, the road will be uncertain--"

"I changed my mind. I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure?"

"It's obvious I won't find a job here in Ochre Town, and my parents know that," said Hiroyuki. "Celadon's a huge city, and there's bound to be something. Anywhere is better than here."

"Aye," Midori agreed. "It always seems best to leave."

Hiroyuki smiled bitterly.


	3. The Coming Tide

**Chapter 3 - The Coming Tide**

He was lost and confused. The current had been so fast, so wild and unrelenting. Torn away from the others, he drifted among the depths, calling out to hear no response. They had gone on without him. He had not been able to keep up.

It would have been fine to keep moving forward, to continue searching for his pack, but these waters were no longer safe. A predator stalked slowly, its huge tentacles waving as they propelled it closer. The frightened one let out a cry as he swished his tiny fins faster to get away. _I'm sorry I intruded! I'm lost!_

The hunter advanced at twice its speed. Fully panicked now, he followed his foremost instinct, searching for a place to hide. Luckily, there was a rock formation ahead, and he dodged into a small opening just as a flying sting nicked the end of his tailfin. The predator reached one of its black tentacles in after him, but he backed farther in until he was beyond capture. He kept swimming through the darkness, putting as much space between him and danger as possible.

He soon discovered that this was no cave, but a narrow tunnel, and he gratefully exited into the open sea. There was no sign of the hunter, but he pumped his fins hurriedly to make his getaway. The scratch on his tailfin, while slight and not infected, burned enough to make him stop swimming after only a few minutes. Built-up exhaustion overcame him, and he closed his eyes, giving into the weightlessness granted by the water. Surely he was at a safe distance now, so he could afford to rest. He felt himself rising to the surface..

----

It was a mistake to return to this city. Before she arrived, Audrey knew she would regret visiting this place. Angry at herself for caving in, forlorn over the haunting memories, she swore that this would be the last visit to Cerulean Bay. And yet, there was her discovery on the north shore... part of her wanted to believe it was some kind of cryptic sign, but her scientific mind told her there was no cosmic connection between her old love and a baby seel.

There had been no one around who might have been its trainer. Even if it did have an owner, Audrey wouldn't have given it back to someone who was so negligent. Half-conscious and barely breathing, the seel had been sprawled out on the sand, a gentle tide washing over it every few seconds. Audrey dutifully carried it to a cafe on the beachfront, the closest refuge. From there, she settled the pokemon into a tub filled with cold water and ice cubes. Now she sat at one of the cafe's outdoor tables, writing some notes from the scientific journals she carried in her backpack, trying to absorb herself in research so she could forget her wandering thoughts. At her feet, the seel stirred a little in its makeshift pool, coming to its senses.

"Awake, huh?" she asked it. "You had me worried there." The seel blinked its huge brown eyes at her.

What was she to do with this newfound pokemon? Even if it hadn't been a water-type, she couldn't look after it with her final year of grad school approaching. But Audrey didn't rescue it just to set it free in the ocean again, either. In the care of even one human, it would become domesticated. If only there was a place where it could be raised by an expert... not necessarily a water-type expert, even...

Audrey's green eyes lit up. Of course! Her favorite teacher from her undergrad days had his own laboratory now. There was no one else she could trust more. She pulled everything out of her backpack, wondering if she had a means to contact him. He wouldn't be in his office at the University of Celadon anymore, not with his own lab. She needed to get to a computer -- she stood up quickly, then gasped as she remembered her newest responsibility.

Would the cafe want their tub back? And could she get away with bringing a pokemon to her motel without a ball? Could it swim in the pool there? And just how would she bring this poor thing to her teacher, anyway? His lab was on the other side of Kanto! Audrey sank back down and rested her forehead in her hands, trying to sort through everything she'd just gotten herself into.

Some splashing from seel made her turn her head. A teenage girl in a short yellow sundress patted the pokemon's head, and it squirmed around in delight. The girl stood up straight when she noticed Audrey looking at her. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist saying hi," she said, looking embarrassed. "He looks right at home there with all those ice cubes in a pool." She giggled nervously.

Audrey smiled at her. "That's all right. I guess you just found out seel like to be petted."

The girl giggled again, but her smile fell. "Is everything okay? You seemed upset about something."

"Oh." Audrey felt foolish for panicking in public. "I just became overwhelmed... I only found this seel on the beach a little bit ago, and I'm not sure how to get it to my professor -- or if he'll even want to take it."

"On the beach?" the girl asked. "He's not yours?"

"I can't keep a pokemon. I'll be going back to college this fall, and I won't have time to take care of one. And I really can't turn it loose into the ocean again. It's too young to search for its family. It'll need some kind of caregiver." Audrey looked at the girl hopefully.

She smiled sadly. "I wish I could help, but my parents won't let me have pokemon. I'm going away to school this fall, too."

Audrey frowned. She certainly knew how it felt to have parents disapprove of her interests. "That's too bad," she said, tapping her pen thoughtfully against her notebook. "Hmm... do you live around here?"

"My parents and I are here for the season. We have a summer home."

"Well, I think the best thing to do is to ask if my old teacher can send someone to retrieve this little guy," Audrey said. "I don't think it's safe to send him electronically in a pokeball yet."

The girl looked a little puzzled, but asked, "Could you take him to a pokemon center? There's one in the city... they take care of pokemon, right?"

Audrey drew in a breath. "I'd feel better sending Seel to someone I know and trust. Those pokemon centers, they're more like quick checkup stations for professional trainers. I wouldn't trust them to give Seel the attention he needs." She went with the girl's implication of "he" -- it felt better to assign a pronoun that wasn't neutral.

"Really? I thought that's why they existed."

"A lot of people think that. Anyway... you seem like someone who cares about pokemon..."

"I really do," the girl said. "I've read a lot about them, in case I do get my own in the future." Her face became very wistful.

"How would you like to help me look after Seel, then? At most, until the end of summer. We should figure out something then."

"Could I?" She clasped her hands together, grinning widely. "I'd love to! It would be so much fun!" She knelt down and petted the seel's small head again.

"You can start now," Audrey suggested. "I want to look up my teacher's new phone number and contact him. He may have some precautions to take with a young pokemon. Stay here until I get back? I promise not to take too long."

"Okay!" She was in the middle of splashing her fingers in the chilly water, while the seel batted her hand with a flipper.

"I'm Audrey, by the way." She couldn't help smiling at the overjoyed girl.

"I'm Noelle." The seel squeaked a little, as if responding to her name. Noelle giggled and patted his head again.

"I'll be back," Audrey said, waving as she left. Noelle and the seel were already bonding, she could tell. It would be cruel to separate them eventually, but she couldn't let the poor girl go without some exposure to pokemon when she wanted it so dearly. Audrey glanced over her shoulder at them. Perhaps coming to Cerulean Bay wasn't such a bad idea after all...

----

"You want to dry?" Delia handed Tracey a dish towel as the sink filled with warm, soapy water. As she started washing the silverware, she remarked, "Sam sure seems happy to have Gary studying with him, don't you think? They spent most of dinner comparing notes on Gary's latest observations."

Tracey twisted the towel in his hands. "That used to be me," he said quietly.

"Hmm?" Delia gave him a concerned look. "What's wrong?"

The assistant sighed. "It's just that ever since Gary came here, Professor Oak has started acting like he'll be the instant successor. I know he's happy about it, because he's got his grandson back, but I've done more work than Gary ever has. It's not fair."

"Well... Gary's training was sort of field research," Delia said. "I think he always viewed pokemon training differently than Ash..."

"But still, I feel like I've wasted my time here, if all I'm good for is drying dishes." Tracey scowled, then glanced at Mrs. Ketchum guiltily. "No offense... sorry."

She smiled at him. "None taken. I know it must be hard to have a rival, but don't forget all you learned. You can still be a researcher, and you have your time here to add to your resume."

"I don't know where to go, though. I don't have any money to support myself, and I don't know anyone I could stay with." He started to dry some forks and put them away. "I wish I wasn't so dependent."

"What about your parents? Don't they live in the Orange Islands?"

"I'm not going back there," Tracey said darkly.

"Oh... well, don't worry too much," said Delia. "Things will work out, I'm sure. You've come this far."

"Yeah..." He didn't want to tell her that something much worse was bothering him. To have Gary staying under the same roof and barely speaking to him, as if nothing had ever happened -- that stung more than being replaced. He'd always been the stand-in friend, the subsitute grandson, always just someone to ignore.

It was to his relief that the video phones started ringing. "I'll get it," Tracey said. Professor Oak and Gary were outside feeding all the pokemon together. "Hello," he answered the phone dully.

The woman on the screen was someone he'd never talked to, and, with as many calls as he answered for the professor, it was surprising. "Hi," she said uncertainly. "Is this Professor Oak's lab?"

"Yeah. He's outside right now, though. I'll get him for you."

"If he's busy, I don't want to interrupt..."

"It's fine. I'll be right back."

Tracey shuffled outside, finding Gary and his grandfather leaning against the fence of the tauros pen, chatting away. He cleared his throat loudly after a minute, since they hadn't heard him approach. "Phone call, Professor."

"Ah! Thank you, m'boy," said Professor Oak, flashing him a grin. Tracey took in a silent breath, then turned his head towards Gary, who was still staring at the many bull pokemon.

"How come you didn't feed the pokemon with us?" Gary spoke first, not looking away.

"Uh..." Tracey was taken aback by the sudden question. "I didn't want to interrupt your reunion," he replied.

"Grandpa said you like watching after the pokemon best. So I'm just surprised you didn't come with us."

Neither of them said anything for a minute, perhaps longer. Gary drummed his fingers on the wooden fence. "Look, Tracey," he said. "I know you've been avoiding me, and I know it's because I acted like a grade-A jerk last time I was here. I don't blame you. I'm really sorry about the whole thing."

"Yeah, so am I," Tracey said in a bitter tone.

"I was hoping we could be colleagues," Gary continued. "Since we both know a lot about Grandpa's studies, we could work together."

"Oh, you want me to do _your _chores, too?"

Gary blinked in puzzlement as Tracey folded his arms and scowled. Then he sighed deeply and began walking back to the house.

"Tracey!" Gary called after him.

"Sorry I bothered you. I'll leave you alone now."

Meanwhile, after pausing to give Delia a rather unrestrained kiss, Samuel Oak picked up the video phone receiver in his lab. "Hello!" he greeted his caller in a cheerful tone.

"Hello, Professor," said the young woman. "I don't know if you remember me, but I took some undergraduate classes with you at University of Celadon a few years ago. My name is Audrey Holly."

"Hmmm... ah, yes! Audrey! What are you up to these days?"

"Finishing grad school this year. About time, too!"

Professor Oak laughed for a long time, which made Audrey giggle. "So, how may I help you?" he asked.

"Well, I seem to have caught myself a pokemon." Audrey explained her situation with the fragile young seel, and Professor Oak agreed that it should be brought personally to his lab by human hands. "You're right, a pokemon that young and in that condition shouldn't be in a ball until it's older and healthier," he said. "You say you met a local girl to help look after it? Maybe you can send it to me in a few months. It should be fine for pokeball transport by then."

"But I wanted you to give it a checkup now. I've never raised a pokemon before..."

"It'll be good experience! You'll be entering the scientific community by this time next year!" Sam chortled, then suddenly stopped. "Say... I just thought of something."

"What's that?" Audrey asked a little nervously, afraid he was going to further pick on her.

"What if I send my lab assistant? He's been working with me for almost two years now, and he certainly knows how to check up on a baby pokemon. He'd do a fine job."

"Oh... I just can't steal your assistant like that..."

"Don't worry, I've got my grandson here to put to work!" He laughed again. "Besides, I think Tracey could use a vacation, and a trip to the beach is just the thing to lift his spirits. He seems to be in a bit of a funk."

"Well, if you insist," Audrey said.

"I do indeed. Just keep your seel in cold water and feed it plenty of baby pokemon formula -- you can pick it up anywhere. And give it lots of attention. You know that, of course. We'll make sure Tracey gets there in a day or two."

"Of course. Thank you so much, Professor."

"You're welcome, Audrey. 'Bye now." He hung up with a thoughtful "hmmm."

"Who was it, Sam?" Delia asked, popping her head in the den.

"A former student of mine with a pokemon dilemma. I'm sending Tracey to help out. She's at Cerulean Bay, so it'll be a nice break for him. Some time at the beach, you know. I think, despite everything, he misses the sand and the sea. And I know his marill does."

"That's great!" Delia beamed. "I bet that'll cheer him up right away."

Sam nodded. "Yes, I hope so. Tracey hasn't been himself lately. I think a change of scenery is just what he needs."


	4. Moving Forward

Author's Note: Oh, hey, people have been reading! Thanks to Jillian14 and ShadowWinged Wolf for the first ever reviews.

If you view the chapters on the EW LiveJournal (linked from my profile -- I can't seem to make links work here!) you can see author notes for each chapter, which I didn't add here. I guess I'll have to start that, since I actually have an audience. Look for them at the end next time.

**Chapter 4 - Moving Forward**

William Mondo whistled along with the radio as he sped down the highway. Often, he would reflect on how much he enjoyed driving. It gave him the awesome responsibility of controlling a powerful machine, even if it was only his old red Jeep. Well, there was also the awesome responsibility of his mission, which was to deliver the usual supplies to his heroes, extreme Team Rocket field agents Jessie, James, and Meowth. Mondo had always admired them, the way they sacrificed the comforts of civilization for their work. Plus, since it was his job to check up on them and bring them food and first aid, he felt a great sense of usefulness. To belong to something as important as Team Rocket, to be trusted by two very cool people... Mondo found his life quite fulfilling.

He swallowed the last drop from his can of Mountain Dewgong soda and tossed it behind him. It landed on the backseat floor, clattering against other empty cans. Mondo glanced over his shoulder. "Guess I haven't cleaned up in a few weeks," he said, grinning apologetically to himself and rapping his hands on the steering wheel to the beat of the music blaring from the speakers.

The closest parking space was several hundred feet away from the main building. Mondo sighed as he turned off the ignition, thinking that he probably could use the walk for exercise anyway. He got out of the Jeep and stretched his arms over his head, staring up at the massive, multi-story structure that was home to the Silph Company, a division of Team Rocket enterprises. Mondo pulled his keycard out of his wallet as he approached the main entrance. Carrying it made him feel important.

On the tenth floor, he swiped his card through the electronic locking device for his supervisor's office and strolled inside. "Welcome back, Mr. Mondo," said the young secretary.

He grinned. "I'm only eighteen, you know. I'm not a 'mister.'"

The secretary giggled. "Sometimes I have a hard time believing you're even that old."

"Why, thank you," said Mondo, who took pride in his boyish looks. "Is Kaede in?"

"No, she's not. But when she gets back, she's got another delivery for you to make."

"Uh oh. I'd better get to work cleaning out my Jeep, then."

The janitorial closet was located at the end of the hall. It would take an entire garbage bag to hold all the soda cans and candy wrappers from his backseat, Mondo was sure. Maybe he could take it to a car wash afterwards. It had been good to him over the past couple of years, so he took the best care of it in return.

A hacking cough from the adjoining stairwell made him jump. "Are you _ever _going to cut back?" a woman said in a deplorable tone. Mondo knew them right away to be Cassidy and Butch, Jessie and James's hated rivals. Jessie had once asked Mondo to report to her anything Cassidy was up to, and, as Mondo would do anything Jessie demanded of him, he ducked into the dark closet and pulled the door shut, which locked it from the outside.

"I can't believe things are finally going to turn around for us," Butch said in his gravelly voice as he opened the stairwell door. "It's about time we got a promotion."

"I told you we should have worked on developing that breeding center months ago," Cassidy scoffed. "Maybe if you'd listen to me once and awhile..."

"Put a sock in it. The important thing is that we got our recognition."

They had stopped right at the closet. Mondo held his breath. There was no way they could find him -- he was locked inside -- unless they gained a master key with their promotion, and they felt an urge to take inventory of window cleaner and paper towels...

"Yes, at least we'll make sure some work gets done around here. I just know the Boss will be pleased at some of my plans," said Cassidy.

"Excuse me, your highness?" Butch spat out. "_Your _plans?"

"Put a sock in it," she mocked him. "I've been the brains out of the two of us all this time, and you know it."

"Good thing executives don't really need partners then, huh?" Butch paused. "Although... maybe a new partner is exactly what I need."

"Ugh, you don't need a partner, you need a few anonymous conjugal visits. No wonder you can't focus on your job."

"No, my job is exactly what I'll be focused on. We're executives now. We can order these grunts to do anything we want, and they can't question us."

"Oh, for the love of--"

"Not that! I mean tracking down someone."

Mondo pressed his ear to the door, as Butch had lowered his voice. "I know Akiko is alive," he said.

Cassidy _tsk_ed. "Akiko."

"What? Never found her body, did they? That means she got away."

"If she was alive, someone would have made sure she paid for all the damage," Cassidy stated matter-of-factly. "What's it been, two years? Almost three by now?"

"She could be hiding! She always was clever."

"Just like you, huh? Blaming the whole thing on a little girl?"

"Hey, she had that vulpix! She could have very well had it torch the whole lab, and escaped with all the other pokemon!"

"And _you_ could have dropped your cigarette while she struggled against you." Cassidy sounded smug. "I saw the surveillance tape, you know."

There was a pause, and Mondo was sure they were glaring at each other. "Well, it doesn't hurt to hunt for an escaped agent," Butch said at last. "If she really can't be found, then maybe we can assume she's dead. But if she's alive, she has some unfinished business with the team."

"The you and little Butch team, maybe," said Cassidy. "Well, do what you want. I'll be working my way up the ladder while you abuse your power. Eventually you'll be working for _me_." Her heels clacked against the floor as she walked away.

"You're all talk, anyway!" Butch called after her. Mondo heard his footsteps move in the opposite direction. He held his breath for a couple more minutes, then opened the door very slowly. The hallway was deserted. Breathing a sigh of relief, he stepped out of the closet and sank to the floor, closing his eyes and slumping down.

So Cassidy and Butch were executives now. Jessie wouldn't like that. She never wanted Cassidy to be better than she was. But weren't she and James elite field agents? Wasn't their work more important than breeding pokemon for Team Rocket? That's what Mondo had been told, anyway. He always felt proud that his heroes kept constant vigilance out in the wild, gathering rare and powerful pokemon for the team's benefit. That was a big responsibility... unless Cassidy and Butch's job was to raise and breed the pokemon afterwards. That might be a bigger responsibility. That would explain their promotion, but it didn't seem fair that they would receive one, while Jessie and James, who worked just as hard, didn't. Unless they just hadn't been notified yet. Yeah, that was it...

He hoped Jessie and James would be called in soon. Somebody had to keep Butch in line, since it seemed he was already making unnecessary plans. Who was Akiko? Mondo had never heard of anyone by that name, but he had come to work for Team Rocket only two years ago. Cassidy had said the Akiko incident was almost three years past.

Mondo took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, then stood up and brushed off his clothes. It wouldn't do to be discovered sitting around. He unlocked the closet again and grabbed a garbage bag, then headed outside. He wasn't going to let himself get worried. Things would turn around for his heroes, he was sure.

----

It was no surprise, nor break from routine, that James Morgan woke up with a stiff neck and growling stomach. He sat up and immediately fell back over as he realized the ground beneath him was rocking back and forth. The blanket covering him was stiff like heavy plastic. He rubbed his eyes and tried to figure out where he was, and just what had happened the night before. They were celebrating something, a momentous decision... and he felt that their lives were going to change...

He then realized what had happened. He, Jessie, and Meowth had stashed away on a boat bound for Kanto. He was laying underneath a tarp, and the boat was docked, rocking gently with the waves. Had they made it to Vermilion Harbor? James climbed out from underneath the covering, clamboring onto the dock and stretching his back. He pulled off one of his gloves, running his hand through his hair and looking around. If the people mulling about the harbor noticed a disheveled young man in what could pass for an official-looking uniform, he didn't care. It wasn't as though the general public knew about Team Rocket. He really didn't think of himself as--

"What are you doing out here?" How Jessie managed to be so alert just after waking was still a mystery. She peered out from under the tarp at James, a glare in her eyes.

"Just trying to figure out where to get some food," he answered dully.

"That's a no-brainer, even for you. We're right by the sea."

James glanced at the calm, clear water. "So we are."

"Meowth! Wake up!" Jessie said crisply over her shoulder. "It's time to put those catlike reflexes of yours to work. We're going fishing."

James heard Meowth yawn and grumble under his breath, and he smiled to himself.

Fishing was a five-minute endeavor before Jessie tossed her rod into the water out of annoyance. "What's wrong with these fish? They aren't taking my bait!"

"Maybe da sight of you in da morning scares 'em off," Meowth suggested with a hearty laugh.

"I didn't ask you!" Jessie kicked him several feet away.

"Back to picking pockets, then?" James asked.

Two filched wallets later, the three of them ate a good-sized breakfast, which was enough to calm Jessie down and make her behave like a rational human being again. "So how do you think we'll capture Pikachu today?" she asked, sipping her coffee demurely, as if she hadn't just inhaled several plates of food.

"We're not after Pikachu anymore, remember?" James reminded her. "Last night you decided it was a lost cause, and we snuck aboard a ship and wound up here at the Vermilion Harbor."

Jessie blinked. "That's right!" She stood up, clenching her fist and propping one foot on her chair. "It's been how many years now? And we still don't have that little rat? It's time Team Rocket moved onto bigger and better pursuits!"

"Like figurin' out how ta get dinner, right?" Meowth said, still licking his plate.

"Like finding the best way to get back into the Boss's favor!" Jessie corrected him. "You _do_ want to be the top cat again, don't you? We _have_ to find something... it's not like he'd want that pikachu anyway! We've seen more powerful pokemon!"

James rested his chin in the palm of his hand, slightly tuning out her passionate but repetitive speech and gazing out the window. Average people strolled by, chatting with one another, smiling, wearing normal clothes...

"What do _you _think, James?" Jessie asked.

"Hmm?" He turned his head away from the window. "I think we shouldn't have eaten everything Mondo brought to us so soon. Or spent all our money in one night."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "He'll bring us more. He does anything I say, naturally." She flipped her magenta hair over her shoulder. "But that's not what I meant. What do you think we should do about looking for pokemon? Where should we start?"

James blinked slowly, thinking about her question. "I think we should stop," he said. "Let's just get jobs like honest people, give the Boss back his money, and go on with our lives."

Meowth choked his tuna sandwich, hacking and coughing. Jessie thumped him on the back. "Are you _insane?_" she snapped at James. "Honest people? When we've built up a reputation for being so _dishonest?_ And what do you mean, go on with our lives? You want to quit the team? Do you know how many years we've put into it?"

"Not really." James stirred the ice in his glass with his straw. "I've forgotten how old we are. We live like kids."

Jessie stuck her nose in the air. "That's because I refuse to become an old woman. Or is that what you want to see?" She glowered at him.

James sighed and smiled weakly. "Of course not."

Meowth regained his composure and stood up in his chair. "Don't think for a minute dat I'm quittin'," he said. "I mean ta be da Boss's top cat, an' I'm not stoppin' now just because you're bored!"

"Why?" James asked. "Why do you want that so badly?"

"Huh?" Meowth sat back down, looking a little thoughtful.

Jessie banged her fist on the table. "That's enough out of you!" she ordered. "We're going back to headquarters, and we're going to get promotions. I don't know what's got you discouraged today, but you'd better snap out of it. If we wander around without a purpose, we'd starve to death! An anonymous death! Is that what you want?"

Under the glare of her dark blue eyes, James mumbled, "No."

She relaxed a little and shook her head, fanning out her long hair. "We'll get there soon," she said in a much gentler tone. "We're going to do something different now, right? We have a lot of pokemon options now, not just one pikachu."

"Yeah..." James agreed. "Sorry. You're right. I'm just tired. I slept on a boat."

"We'll get a better night's sleep tonight," Jessie said cheerfully, waving a stolen credit card back and forth. "Let's head for Celadon, okay? There are better hotels there than in this harbor town."

"Dat's da best thing I've heard all day!" Meowth chimed in.

James cracked his neck and forced a smile.


	5. The Day I Met You

**Chapter 5 - The Day I Met You**

The tip of Tracey's tongue stuck out from a corner of his lips as he scratched his pencil over the paper in short, hurried strokes. His subject, a little girl with a plush clefairy in her lap, held perfectly still except for her feet, which she swung in anticipation. As Tracey glanced from the sketchbook to her, he smiled.

"There you go," he said when he finished, holding out his work. The girl clapped her hands and beamed, exclaiming, "That's me!"

"He did a good job, didn't he?" her mother remarked. "You're a great artist."

"Oh, no," Tracey said. "I just draw what I see."

"Can I have your autograph?" the girl asked.

Tracey signed his name on the sketch, then ripped it out and handed it to her. "Thank you!" she gushed.

"Well, I couldn't do that," said the mother. "It takes talent to capture something realistically on paper like that."

He smiled nervously, feeling his ears getting warm. The woman smiled back, and then motioned for her daughter to stand up with her. "We'd better get to our room," she declared. "How about you? Where are you headed?"

"I'm meeting someone here," Tracey told her. "To take a look at a pokemon." He glanced across the hotel lobby, but there was no sign of Audrey Holly yet.

"Oh? Do you have any?"

"Yeah, I've got three."

"I got a clefairy!" announced the girl, holding out her plush.

Tracey grinned. "It look well-trained, too. I can tell, since I work with lots of pokemon every day."

"How exciting!" The mother clapped her hands together.

A group of people clad in bathing suits passed them. "Let's go swimming now!" the girl insisted, pulling on her mother's hand.

"We'd better go," her mom said to Tracey. "If you're at the beach this weekend, we might see you."

"I might take Marill for a swim," he replied. "So I'll look for you."

He waved until they boarded the elevator across the room, the doors closing them off from the lobby. Tracey sighed and slumped down in his chair. It felt weird to be approached by strangers like that, especially ones who thought he was some kind of portraitist. He didn't mind doing it, though -- the little girl was very cute, and her mother nice. It just seemed like an awkward situation, to be put on the spot, to be called an artist.

He was always uncomfortable with that word. To him, it meant someone who was very dynamic and imaginative, someone who lived in a perpetual state of creation. Tracey didn't consider himself creative -- he sketched pictures for visual notes, a habit born from pokemon watching. He couldn't draw anything fantastical from his mind alone. He had to look at a subject first. And he didn't see himself as a person who frequented art galleries or perceived things in a vague, poetic manner. He was more of a scientist, a researcher, someone who recorded what he observed in very concrete ways. At least, that's what he wanted to be. People respected scientific minds.

Tracey stuffed the sketchbook in his backpack. Why he'd gotten it out in the first place, he didn't even know. Another old habit, he decided. He didn't really want to sketch memories of this trip. He did notice several attractive people walking by, most of them wearing only bathing suits. Some keepsake sketches of them would be nice, but if anyone saw him drawing half-naked people, they would think he was a horrible pervert. Frustrated, Tracey stared at the lobby decorations, trying to distract himself.

Cascade Hotel was Cerulean City's largest resort, and the most lavish place in which Tracey had ever been. Between the exotic potted plants, polished furniture, and huge (but still tasteful) crystal chandelier, he felt like he didn't belong. Maybe the nice woman felt sorry for him, and that's why she invited him to sketch her daughter? If that was the case, what would Audrey think? Surely, to be here, she had to be some kind of respected scientist, the famous student of Professor Oak who was still in college but had already made several important discoveries...

"Tracey?" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The woman in front of him, with her reddish-brown hair and glasses, was Audrey herself. Her casual dress and apprehensive demeanor instantly put Tracey at ease. He had expected her to be wearing a lab coat and a complacent expression.

"Hi." He stood up and shook her hand.

"Glad you made it here," she said, smiling. "Have you got your room key? Want to rest from your trip for awhile?"

"Oh, yeah..." Tracey almost forgot that Professor Oak had booked a room for him. This trip to Cerulean Bay doubled as a vacation, a reward for his hard work. Although, Tracey was pretty sure it was a way to get his moping self out of the lab so the professor and Gary could enjoy themselves.

He checked in at the front desk and got a key. "I'll drop off my backpack," he said to Audrey, "but I don't need to rest for awhile. I want to take a first look at this seel of yours."

"Are you sure?" She followed him to the elevator. "Didn't you drive all the way here?"

"Yeah, and it was a long time of sitting down. I don't think I need to sit more. Plus, I'll have all week to rest, apparantly."

"It was nice of Professor Oak to do all this for you."

Tracey made a noncommittal noise. "How about you? Are you doing research here?"

"I suppose so. Water and ice pokemon are my main area of study, but I probably should have chosen a different city."

"Why?"

"Old memories, I guess. I used to be good friends with someone who lived here. But that was a long time ago."

"Heh, me too." Tracey smirked at their similarities. "What happened to yours?"

The elevator dinged, and they stepped out. "She became very focused on her career. Then she moved. How about yours?"

"She became very focused on an oblivious boy. And she follows him everywhere."

"Oh, dear." Audrey rolled her eyes, and Tracey couldn't help grinning.

The room was almost as posh as the lobby, with one king-sized bed draped in a rich navy and gold comforter. "This is way too nice for me," Tracey mumbled, dropping his backpack on the bed.

"That's why it's a vacation," said Audrey.

From a side pocket in his bag, Tracey retrieved a pokeball. "There's a pool, right? I brought my marill."

"Marill are so cute!" Audrey gushed a little uncharacteristically. "I didn't know you were a water-type aficionado."

"Just Marill. I have a venonat and scyther, too, but I left them at the lab to look after things. I doubt they'd enjoy the beach. And they like being with the other bug pokemon."

A room on the bottom floor was home to a huge below-ground pool exclusively for swimming pokemon. Much like the one at the Cerulean gym, there was a downstairs area where they could be watched, as in an aquarium. Audrey and Tracey went there, admiring the indoor sea through high glass walls. Water pokemon of all sorts drifted back and forth, and some napped on beds of rocks. "Wow," Tracey whispered. The aquarium's deep blue glow, which was enhanced by low lighting, made the languidly moving pokemon, as well as the entire room, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Cerulean does love its water pokemon," Audrey said.

Tracey thought of Tangelo Island, his birthplace. In spite of some bad memories, he suddenly found himself longing to live next to the sea again. It was always so vast and dynamic. It was where he met Marill. It was where he tried to--

"Are you all right?" Audrey asked suddenly.

"Uh? Oh... yeah. Sorry, I was on a train of thought." He scratched the back of his neck.

Audrey smiled sympathetically. "I don't know where that seel is," she said, scrutinizing the aquarium.

Tracey squeezed the pokeball which rested in the pocket of his baggy cargo shorts. "I should go upstairs and let Marill have a swim."

"Good idea," Audrey agreed.

Before they could start upstairs, they heard hurried footsteps racing down. A teenage girl with long blue hair halted before them. "There you are!" she said to Audrey. "I was afraid I missed you!"

"Oh! I'm glad you're here," Audrey replied. "This is Tracey -- he's come from Professor Oak's lab to look at our seel. Tracey, this is Noelle."

"Nice to meet you," Noelle said with a warm smile, curtseying effortlessly in her light sundress.

"Um..." Tracey uttered, his tongue hopelessly tied. He managed to say "hi," and Noelle's smile widened. Then she rushed to the aquarium, pressing her hands to the glass. The glow from the water enhanced her cobalt hair richly, Tracey noticed. As she stared at the swimming pokemon, her face alight with wonder, he suddenly longed to capture the entire scene in a drawing, but he knew that such a feat would be impossible for even the most skilled artist.

"I don't see him... oh!" Noelle beamed as the little white seel swam to the window. It spun around until it was floating upside-down, and it stuck its tongue out playfully. Noelle giggled and poked the glass.

"Shall we go upstairs so Tracey can have a hands-on look?" Audrey suggested.

"Okay!" Noelle turned to them. Tracey met her pale blue eyes and blushed. As she started up the stairs first, Audrey elbowed him. "I meant on the seel," she whispered slyly.

"I know that!" he exclaimed, his face getting redder.

In the pool room above ground, he released his marill into the water, and she squeaked appreciatively. "Oh, wow!" Noelle clasped her hands together. "She's adorable!"

Marill giggled and splashed her paws, and Noelle knelt down and patted the water mouse's head. "Go find Noelle's seel and bring it here, okay, Marill?" Tracey asked.

"It's a he," Noelle said.

"Really?"

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "Well, I don't know for sure. I've never been around pokemon before, but they're one or the other, right? And I feel like he's a boy. Will you be able to tell?"

"It's usually not obvious in pokemon," said Tracey. "Especially in young ones. But I think you can guess sometimes based on their behavior. Not to stereotype genders, of course..." He was stumbling into an awkward topic.

Audrey smiled at him knowingly. "Pokemon gender roles are more black and white than humans'," she clarified. "So yes, it is safe to guess from their personality."

The two pokemon resurfaced, and Marill announced their arrival before taking off again for a swim of her own. "Let's see here," Tracey said, kneeling beside Noelle. The seel sniffed his outstretched hand. "Was he hurt when you found him?"

"No, just exhausted," said Audrey. "I think he got separated from his pack somehow, and he swam a great distance very quickly, then fainted and came in with the tide."

Tracey nodded. "If only he could tell us himself, huh? Maybe someone will come up with a kind of translator someday."

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "Maybe."

"So you've kept him in this pool? And spent a lot of time with him?"

"Oh, yes," said Audrey. "And Noelle's been coming here every day." She looked at the girl, who was trailing her hand back and forth in the water. The seel watched intently, head following her every movement.

"Can you pick him up?" Tracey asked her.

"Sure!" The seel wriggled into her outstretched arms, and she rose slowly. Tracey leaned in close to examine the pokemon, trying very hard to focus on his body alone, as he was only inches away from Noelle's.

"What do you think?" she questioned.

Tracey glanced up at her and felt himself blush again. To his surprise, her cheeks were also faintly pink. "H-he looks pretty good," he said, stammering a little. "There's a tiny scrape on his tailfin here, but it looks a few days old. Maybe from a rock or something... in any case, it's not infected, so he's lucky." He took a step back, feeling less nervous now that he wasn't so close to the very cute girl. "You've done the right thing, so he'll be fine. You can't set him loose in the ocean again, though. You've already made a human impression on him, so he doesn't have much of a chance on his own, unless we track down his family ourselves, and that's pretty unlikely."

Audrey and Noelle both nodded, so Tracey continued. "You were right not to send him to Professor Oak electronically... it's not one hundred percent failsafe, and if your pokemon isn't registered and it's lost, you'd have a pretty hard time tracking it down."

"Registered?" Noelle asked.

"With the Indigo League... you don't have to worry about that unless you're going to be a professional trainer, though." Tracey excused it with a wave of his hand.

"Oh... right." Noelle hugged the seel a little closer. She turned her head away, looking downcast. "So... when are you taking him?"

Tracey paused, feeling bad for his cheerful rambling. He had almost forgotten that Noelle couldn't keep the seel, and he realized just how heartbroken she was. He knew before he left Pallet Town that he'd be taking a pokemon away, but he wasn't prepared to witness just how close that pokemon was to, all things considered, its trainer.

"It'll be another week," he said. "Although, I'm starting to wish I didn't have to."

Noelle smiled sadly. "Believe me, I wish I had a say in it." She knelt down again and placed the seel in the pool.

Tracey watched him dive down, wishing he knew what to tell her. Audrey gave them both a compassionate smile, but Tracey could tell that his little vacation would be riddled with guilt.

----

The first thing Dominik noticed as he entered the pokemon salon was that two teenage girls whispered to each other and stared at him without attempting to hide their excitement. This reminded him of Lance's entrance at the dining hall on the Indigo Plateau. He avoided the girls and approached the front desk, where another girl flipped lazily through a magazine. "Excuse me," he said, "is Suzie in today?"

"Yeah, but she's busy right now," the girl answered without looking up. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Kimi!" hissed one of the others, sidling up to the desk. She leaned close to Kimi's ear, but Dominik plainly heard her whisper, "Do you know who he is? The new Indigo League Champion!"

"Oh!" The girl pushed aside her magazine and leaned closer, flashing Dominik a dazzling smile. "_I'd _be happy to help you."

"Thanks, but I really need to talk to Suzie," he said politely. "I can wait for her."

"I'll tell her you're here right now! What's your name?"

"Kimi!" both of the other girls shouted incredulously. Dominik backed a few steps away.

"Didn't you see his match on television?" one of them continued. "His name's Dominik St. Clair, and he's from Saffron City, and his training style is to evade his opponent's pokemon until they're too weak to withstand a direct attack, and--"

"Are you new to the Celadon area?" the other girl asked Dominik directly. "I can show you around, if you like..."

"What's going on out here?" demanded a new voice, clear and businesslike. A young woman with long teal hair came out to the front area, her arms folded across her chest. "Tell your friends to be on their way, please," she told her secretary.

"But--" the first girl started to say.

"You can see her later. You're bothering my customers."

The girls left sulkily, glancing at Dominik on their way out. "I'm so sorry. I'm Suzie," said the woman. "Did you want to see me?"

"Yeah." Dominik unclipped five pokeballs from his belt, and held them in his outstretched hands. "Can you take care of them for me?"

"A relaxing treatment for champion pokemon, eh? I'd be happy to, but I'm booked up today. Kimi can make you an appointment." From the front desk, she nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh... no, that's not it," said Dominik. "I mean, I'd like you to have them. For breeding."

Suzie's and Kimi's mouths dropped open at the same time. Then Suzie smiled. "Not many people know that I'm also a breeder. You've done your research."

"I looked up every breeder in the area, and I think you're the best one. I wouldn't leave my pokemon with just anyone."

"Why, thank you," Suzie said, neither modestly nor arrogantly. "But most trainers just don't give their pokemon away... and you've been with them a long time, I'm sure..."

Dominik nodded. "I gave it a lot of thought, and I'm sure this is best. See, I'm going to Johto, to take their league challenge next. I want to try different tactics with different pokemon there. Leaving mine behind would mean keeping them stored in their pokeballs the whole time -- my parents are too busy to take care of them. So I'd rather they have the chance to relax with an experienced caretaker. And, for someone in your field, you could breed champion pokemon for your clients."

Suzie's brown eyes sparkled with anticipation. "I... I don't know what to say," she whispered. "That's so generous..." She held up her hands for Dominik to place the five balls. "I'll take them to the breeding center this afternoon. It's out in the country, but I'm sure you read about that."

Dominik nodded again. "I'm glad they can stay in more natural surroundings."

Suzie stared at the minimized spheres. "So, what's your price?"

"I don't want anything. Just knowing they're in good hands is enough."

"Eh?" Kimi exclaimed. "You can't just _give _them away!"

"Hmm... how about instead of a price, I give you something as thanks?" Suzie suggested. "You want to go to Johto with different pokemon, right? You have to start with one."

"I've got my exeggutor," said Dominik. "She's the one I can't leave behind."

"Still, I breed a few pokemon for battle. They're not all for show." She turned around and headed around the corner. "Come this way, please."

Reluctantly, Dominik followed her to a large and complex machine, not unlike the ones at pokemon centers. "We can check out my database here," Suzie said, sitting down in front of a computer monitor. "What kind of pokemon did you have in mind for your different tactics?"

She spoke too fast for Dominik to explain in the nicest way possible that he wasn't interested in some pampered purebred. He preferred to meet pokemon in their natural habitats, to get to know them and to find out if they truly wanted to be trained by him. To be handed a pokemon who was born for the explicit purpose of serving a human seemed like cheating.

"I want to put together an all-psychic team this time," he told her. "I want a real challenge -- having pokemon of different elements gave me too many advantages."

"Wow... that'll be a double challenge. Psychic-type pokemon are hard to train."

"I think I can manage."

Suzie scrolled through a list on her screen. "I know," she said after a couple of minutes. "I shouldn't have to tell you that eevee have a psychic evolution, right?"

"Eevee?" Dominik repeated. They were popular but rare pokemon, famous for their ability to turn into one of five different elemental types based on certain conditions. He reconsidered her offer.

"I've got one that's ready to evolve very soon. Initially, that would depend on which stone you'd want to use on her, but there's a good chance she can become an espeon, too."

"Espeon don't come from evolution stones?"

"No, it's trickier to get espeon or umbreon. You have to earn her trust completely, and restrict her training to daytime or nighttime. Even then, it's up to her whether or not she wants to evolve." Suzie sighed. "Those trainers who are fortunate enough to get an eevee don't always end up with its two rarest evolutions. That's why most of them stick to evolution stones."

"I'll try," Dominik said.

Suzie flipped a switch on the bulky machine next to her computer, then clacked on the keyboard in an efficient manner. It dawned on Dominik that he was now witnessing an electronic transport, something he'd never had to rely on during his travels around Kanto. He knew that lots of other trainers stored their pokemon with friends or relatives, or even as computer data, calling upon them whenever they were needed, but Dominik couldn't stand the thought of shelving his living, breathing companions as though they were plastic toys. He didn't entirely trust pokeball transport, no matter how many times Leilani reassured him that the balls were perfectly comfortable, and a good way to get some uninterrupted sleep.

The transport machine hummed loudly, and light bulbs of different colors flashed. Dominik shielded his eyes from a bright white glow that had formed underneath a long tube. When it faded, a red and white pokeball sat in its place. Suzie handed it to Dominik and smiled. "Here you are. I can register the ball and eevee in your name from here." She faced her computer again.

"Okay," Dominik said vaguely, staring at the pokeball in his hands. Had the creature inside felt the instantaneous transport? Would his Kanto team, if Suzie decided to send them to her breeding center that way?

"What's your ID number?" Suzie asked.

He recited it to her, and she typed a few things before swivelling her chair around towards him. "You can let her out, you know. I want to see what you think."

"Oh... yeah." Dominik pressed the ball's release button with his thumb. The familiar red beam formed into a small shape, fading to reveal a fluffy, brown eevee. She looked at Dominik and mewed happily, swishing her bushy tail. He couldn't help breaking into a grin of delight and relief, and he knelt down, offering his hand for her to sniff.

"Got a nickname I can enter for her?" Suzie asked.

"Not yet." Dominik petted the eevee's head. "I can have that registered later, though."

"Yep." Suzie finished typing. "Okay, it's all official now."

"Thanks." Dominik smiled at her from ear to ear; a real smile, not one for conversation.

Suzie walked him out to the front desk. "Come by and visit your pokemon whenever you want," she said.

"I will." Dominik paused and waited for his eevee to catch up with him.

"How cute!" Kimi gushed. "That's the perfect pokemon for you." She batted her eyelashes in an obvious manner.

"You'd better return her to her pokeball before you leave," Suzie warned him.

"I want her to get some fresh air," Dominik said. "And I'll keep my eye on her." He opened the door for the little pokemon to go first. "'Bye! Thanks again!"

The young psychic and his eevee stood back against the bustling Scissor Street sidewalk, watching swarms of people walk by from either direction. "What do you think?" he asked. "She has a point, though... I'd better put you in your ball before we get on the bus."

The eevee took tentative steps out to the middle of the walkway. Her ears twitched at the sound of a high bell, and a boy riding a bicycle zoomed past, missing Eevee by an inch. "Hey, keep your pokemon off the sidewalk!" the boy shouted at Dominik as he skidded to a halt.

"Watch where you're going next time!" Dominik snapped at him. The kid mumbled something and rode off, but Dominik heard passersby commenting on "disobedient pokemon" and "irresponsible trainers."

"Eevee?" he called. She had taken refuge behind a trash can. He approached cautiously and picked her up, pulling a wet candy bar wrapper off her back. He hugged her protectively. "The sidewalk doesn't just belong to people," he said, looking sadly at the litter piled outside the intended receptacle. "The whole _world _doesn't just belong to people. You think they'd realize that by now." He grabbed her pokeball. "Sorry about all that. You can come out where it's safe at my house. And you can meet Leilani." As he reattached the sphere to his belt with Eevee safely inside, he resolved to believe his exeggutor about pokeballs.

A woman chatting loudly on her cell phone passed by Dominik, tossing a crumpled, brightly-colored flyer towards the trash can. It bounced off the edge and landed on the sidewalk, but she went on her way, absorbed in her conversation. Dominik picked it up and stared after her incredulously, then jumped as a car blared its horn, causing a chain reaction of honking. _Why is everyone so stupid? _he asked, sending his thoughts to Leilani.

_You _are _asking about humans, _she quipped.

_I wish we could reset the human race like a video game. Maybe start over and have pokemon be in charge. _He tossed the paper indignantly into the trash can.

_I do love the way your mind works._

Dominik sighed deeply and shuffled down the sidewalk, heading for the bus stop. The sooner he left downtown Celadon, the better.

----

Author's Notes: Things are going to get interesting now.

Anime fans will remember Suzie, Brock's heroine in the breeding world who gave him a vulpix. "I wanna breed like you! I mean, your vulpix is nice." I think she appreciates Dominik's visit a little more.


	6. The Princess and the Choreboy

**Chapter 6 - The Princess and the Choreboy**

Noelle smiled cheerfully at the Cascade Hotel doorman as he held open the heavy wooden door for her. When she passed the front desk, the attendant greeted her, "Good morning, Miss Winter." She said hi back and waved on her way to the elevator.

Stepping out on the fifth floor, she giggled to herself. She reached the closed door of her destination, brushed her pigtails over her shoulders, and knocked. Her excited smile faded when nothing happened, so she knocked again.

After a couple of minutes, the door opened, and Tracey, appearing sleepy and rumpled, gave her a confused look. "Oh!" Noelle exclaimed. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry!"

Tracey scratched his head. "It's okay," he mumbled. "What time is it?"

"It's almost eight thirty. I thought we could have breakfast... but I was afraid you'd already eaten..." She glanced in different directions, noticed Tracey's grey cotton boxers, and blushed.

He looked down and turned equally red. "Be right back," he said quickly, shutting the door. A minute later, he returned with his baggy brown cargo shorts, a different t-shirt in dark red, and hastily-brushed hair.

"I'm really sorry," Noelle apologized. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

"Nah, I'd rather have breakfast." Tracey opened his wallet and checked for his keycard, then closed the door behind him.

"Um..." Noelle pointed at his bare feet and giggled.

With his socks and shoes finally in place, Tracey followed Noelle down the hall. "How did you know where my room is?" he asked.

"Audrey told me." Noelle pushed the elevator button. "I wanted to thank you for coming all this way to look at Seel, so I thought I'd take you to breakfast."

"You don't have to do that," Tracey said. "I have all my expenses covered."

"You can owe me, then." Noelle winked and stepped on the elevator.

"Will Audrey meet us there?" Tracey asked as the doors closed.

"I asked her yesterday, and she said she'd be sleeping in."

"Oh, sure, ask her beforehand, but drag me out of bed." He grinned to show there were no hard feelings.

The hotel's restaurant was just as fancy as the rest of the building. Elegant white cloths covered the tables, and were topped with expertly folded napkins and vases of lilies and bluebells. "I feel underdressed," said Tracey, gazing around at the other patrons, who wore nice jackets and slacks or lovely dresses.

"You're fine," Noelle reassured him. "You're staying here, too."

Tracey looked her over. "Are you always dressed up?"

She picked up the edge of her dress's knee-length skirt, glancing at the flower pattern against light blue fabric. "I'm not _that _dressed up today." At Tracey's wide-eyed look of surprise, she added, "I guess people are more casual in Pallet Town."

"People are more casual in _this _town. We're at the beach."

To Noelle's relief, a host came by and led them to a table. As soon as they took their seats, a waiter appeared for their drink order. Noelle looked over the menu, trying to decide. "I'll have coffee," Tracey told the waiter without hesitation.

"Iced tea, please," Noelle said. "Sweetened, and with lemon."

The waiter nodded and left. Tracey yawned under his hand. "Oh, no," he muttered, eyes fixed on a spot behind Noelle. "They're going to kick me out for violating the dress code! Our waiter and some guy are pointing right at me!"

"There's no dress code," Noelle whispered, looking over her shoulder.

The waiter hurried to their table with a guilt-stricken look on his face. "I'm so sorry," he said breathlessly. "I didn't realize it was you, Miss Winter."

Noelle smiled at him warmly. "That's okay. I don't mind at all."

"If there's anything I can do for you, don't hesitate to tell me."

"Give us a few minutes so my guest can look over the menu? It's his first time here."

The waiter nodded to Tracey. "Of course. I'll be right back with your drinks." He left quickly.

With his mouth agape, Tracey watched him go, then turned to Noelle. "What was that? Are you famous or something?"

"No, not really." She toyed with her left pigtail. "Well, maybe around the hotel. My dad sort of made it possible."

"He's the owner?"

"No, he just paid for its construction. He would never own just one building -- he owns many, and funds several more."

Tracey's jaw dropped lower. "What, are you a family of millionaires?"

Noelle cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her pigtail. The waiter returned with their coffee and iced tea, and Tracey pretended to pour over the menu until he left. "I can't believe it," he said quietly. "What's it like? Do you have a mansion with servants, like in the movies?"

"Not servants, maids. And only a couple." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Wow..." Tracey broke out in an incredulous grin. "Can I see? Even if it's only on the outside. Someone like me probably isn't welcome inside."

"It's only our summer house here," said Noelle. "It's much smaller-- wait, what do you mean, someone like you?"

"You know, a low-class commoner. Raised under the docks at Tangelo Harbor, even. That fishy smell stays with you forever."

Noelle started to protest, but she saw him chuckling. "I'm glad you're so amused," she said wryly.

"I'll stop." Tracey attempted to straighten his face. "I've just never met anyone... is it really true?"

She nodded. "I kind of hoped you wouldn't find out. The last thing I want is for you to think I'm some kind of spoiled rich girl who's making a big deal out of a pokemon she can't have."

"But you're not making a big deal," Tracey said seriously. "I feel even worse about it, since you've been so brave."

"I have?"

"Sure. At least, to me, it seems like you're trying to enjoy the time you do have with Seel, instead of spending the rest of the week being sad about... the situation." He paused at the delicate topic.

Noelle sipped her tea. "I _am _sad... but getting worked up won't change things, so I won't cause a scene over it." She smirked. "It's in my upbringing."

Tracey glanced at the menu in his hands. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why can't you keep him?"

Noelle looked away, considering her answer. "I'm kind of in the same situation as Audrey," she finally replied. "I'll be attending a special school this fall, and I doubt there would be time to look after a pokemon."

"Oh... well, can--" Tracey started to ask another question, but paused.

Noelle glanced up at him. "What's that?" she prompted.

"Um... forgot what I was going to say. I guess I'm hungry. The waiter's probably getting impatient." He began to study the menu. Noelle watched him for a few seconds, then smiled gratefully.

"Hey." Tracey looked up suddenly. "Now I don't feel so bad, having you buy breakfast. I think I'll order one of everything." He grinned teasingly.

"Oh, go right ahead," Noelle said airily. "Maybe the right combinations of breakfast will disguise your fishy smell."

Tracey gasped in mock horror, and they both giggled.

----

Later that week, Audrey, Noelle, and Tracey went to the beach at Noelle's insistence. She wanted to take the seel swimming, but Tracey felt that the crowded beach, as well as the vast ocean, would be too overwhelming for the young pokemon. To make up for it, he let his marill be Noelle's swimming partner.

Under the shade of a large umbrella, Tracey sat on their blanket with his sketchbook propped up on his knees. It hadn't seen the light of day since his arrival at Cascade Hotel, but as he was enjoying his vacation so far, he suddenly felt the urge to draw some momentos.

"Here you go." Audrey's voice came from above him. She held out a bottle of cold water, already dripping in the sun.

"Thanks," said Tracey, opening it and taking a gulp.

Audrey sat down beside him, smoothing her long green wrap skirt. "Don't tell me you forgot to pack a bathing suit."

"I didn't forget. I don't own one."

Audrey _tsk_ed. "We can fix that. Dozens of stores to pick from."

"Not interested. The last time I put on my swim trunks, I was way too big for them. So I threw them out. No one needs to see me half-naked, anyway."

"But you're missing the chance to swim with Noelle." Audrey flashed him a wicked grin.

"I think I'm sparing her from blindness."

The older woman sighed. "You know, I'd tell you that you look fine, but I'm the wrong person to be giving my opinion on that."

Tracey looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe she can convince you, though." Audrey nodded towards the approaching Noelle. With her blue hair wet, it hung in limp, dark waves around her shoulders. Her choice of white for a bathing suit would have been a little too revealing in its drenched state, but there seemed to be an inner lining to help conceal her curves.

Marill, at her feet, raced ahead to greet Tracey. He held his sketchbook over his head as she bounded into his lap, dripping water everywhere. "Have a nice swim?" he asked, scratching behind her ears.

"What's this?" Noelle leaned closer to view the sketchbook. Before Tracey could stop her, she snatched it away. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you could draw!" She turned each page, staring with wide blue eyes.

"They're not that great," Tracey said, stretching his arm out for it. Noelle, still on her feet, stepped out of his reach. Audrey laughed.

"These pokemon are so lifelike," she said. "You're really talented!"

Tracey's ears burned. "I just sketched what I saw."

Noelle finished looking through the book and handed it to Audrey. She sat on her knees next to Tracey. "Will you draw Seel swimming in the pool for me? Please?"

His heart leapt from his chest. "Sure. I'd be glad to."

"Yay!" Noelle clapped her hands together. Marill cheered with her.

Audrey paused from flipping through the drawings. "Oh, Noelle, would you like something to drink? I brought water for Tracey and me, but I didn't think you'd be done swimming yet."

"Yes, please. I'm going back in, but I need a break first."

Tracey watched her go, wondering how she always managed to find opportunities to leave him and Noelle alone. There was breakfast the other day, a walking tour of Cerulean Bay's restaurants (so Tracey could find a more casual place to eat), and an upcoming trip into the city. True, Audrey had her studies, but it seemed to Tracey that she knew how he felt about Noelle, and that she deliberately kept to herself just for his sake. But when he wasn't feeling grateful for the opportunity, he felt guilty. He and Audrey became friends because of their many similarities; wasn't she also desperately lonely?

"You'll come swimming this time, right?" Noelle asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I don't think so," Tracey declined. Marill squeaked authoritatively from his lap, and he patted her head.

"Are you sure? It's not so bad once you get in deeper water... most of the crowd is at the edge."

"Yeah, I'm sure. But you've got Marill. And Audrey might go in. Or go diving for shellder or something."

"You have to know how to swim," Noelle insisted. "You're from the Orange Islands."

"Not every islander is a swimmer," said Tracey. "But I do know how. I just don't feel like it today, I guess."

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't have said we should come if I'd known you didn't want to." She bowed her head regretfully.

"Don't let me spoil your fun," Tracey said hastily. "Sorry, I shouldn't be so difficult."

"But you're the guest. You should choose how to spend your week."

"We've already been through town... and we're going to the city later. I didn't want you to get tired of shopping."

"Oh, that's not possible."

They looked at each other and laughed. "Wow, listen to us," Noelle said.

Tracey didn't have the nerve to say that he thought they sounded like a couple. Luckily, Audrey came back with Noelle's water. She took a long drink, then sprang to her feet and challenged Marill to a race back to the sea.

----

Downtown Cerulean had a reputation as a bustling city of tourist attractions and thriving commerce that still maintained cleanliness and order. Tracey felt nostalgic as he strolled down the sidewalk with Noelle. This bayside city was reminiscent of Tangelo, full of sunshine and relaxed people.

In an effort to "dress down" for him, Noelle wore a pair of light brown capri pants, a fitted, white t-shirt striped across the chest in blue, and white sandals. Trying not to outright stare at her, Tracey made mental notes on her outfit. The week was almost over, and he wanted to sketch her.

As they paused to take in a store's window display, Tracey considered buying souvenirs for Professor Oak and Delia Ketchum. The professor did provide this vacation, and Tracey was having such a good time that his frustration had melted away. Of course, it would be hard to leave, to part Noelle from her beloved seel, to say goodbye... he forced his thoughts back to souvenir-hunting. Thinking of his unconventional parental figures reminded him of something else. "Hey, Noelle?" he began.

"Hmm?" Her attention primarily belonged to a window of antique toys, which included stylized figures of pokemon.

"Do your parents mind that you spend all your days out with me and Audrey? I mean, if I was a parent, I'd want to meet my kid's friends... not that I'm asking you to introduce me to your family, that's another subject entirely..." He shut up before he could blurt out anything else awkward.

Noelle smiled sadly at the toy display. "Whether they mind or not, this is my last summer I can do things like this -- go out whenever I like with no questions asked."

"What do you mean?" Tracey wondered.

"My parents told me to enjoy my last childhood summer any way I wanted to," she explained. "The school I'm starting this fall, it's a boarding school for society girls like me."

"Oh, wow, like a finishing school? I didn't know those were still around. But that won't take too long, right? Then you can be on your own."

"It doesn't work that way in my world. Girls only attend school to find a husband. When I turn eighteen in a couple of years, I'm expected to be engaged."

Tracey stared at her mutely.

"That's why I can't have pokemon," she continued. "One time, when I was younger, I asked my parents about them. They said that young ladies don't play with wild animals. But that only made me more interested in them. I've read everything I could get my hands on about pokemon. Just getting to talk to Audrey and see Seel was satisfying enough, but to hold him and play with him..." Her voice caught in her throat.

"I'm so sorry," Tracey said quietly. "I can't believe... engaged? At eighteen?"

"At least I get to choose... not that it's much of a choice. They're all alike. I used to be engaged before -- arranged by our parents."

"You're kidding!"

Noelle shook her head. "I barely remember him. I was only three, and he was older. But our parents had some kind of disagreement, and they called it off. It's a privilege that I get to select my own fiancé now." She rolled her eyes.

"That's insane."

"My parents are very traditional. They think life would be better if it hadn't changed in the past century. Most of Pine City society thinks that."

"Are you really going through with it?"

Noelle sighed. Her eyes hadn't left the window once. "I don't know what else I can do. I've thought about running away, but where would I go? I'd never survive on my own."

Before Tracey could stop himself, he blurted out, "Come with me."

"Eh?" Noelle turned her head to him, her face full of surprise.

Tracey felt his ears growing hot. "For the summer. You said you could do anything, so if you want to come to Pallet Town, you could be with Seel, and help take care of him..." He trailed off, waiting for her to laugh or say that she'd rather die than travel with him.

"Oh, Tracey," she said. "That would be so nice. I really wish I could."

His shoulders sagged. "You don't think you can?"

"I'm pretty sure my parents wouldn't agree to letting me go to the other side of Kanto with someone they've never met. Not even if I introduced you to them." She appeared genuinely disappointed, and Tracey realized that she truly wanted to take his offer.

"Because I'm a low-class shipyard boy, right? Who plays with wild animals, even?"

"I don't think that, I swear!" Noelle declared vehemently.

"I know you don't. You're a good person."

Noelle's eyes welled with tears, and she suddenly buried her face in Tracey's shirt. The top of her head reached only up to his neck. "I wish you didn't have to go," she said in a muffled voice. "You and Audrey are the first real friends I've had, and you're both leaving."

Completely in shock, Tracey tried to decide if he should put his arms around her. "That can't be true," he said in the meantime.

"It is. No one knows anything about me, and I can't talk about what I like or how I feel..." She hiccuped and sniffled.

Tracey gave in and hugged her close. "I'm glad you can around me. I think you're the best friend I've ever known in less than a week. I don't want to leave, either."

Noelle suddenly looked up at him. "You can stay."

He blinked thoughtfully. "I guess I could... but I promised Audrey I'd drop her off at Celadon, so she didn't have to take the bus again."

"You can do that, and then come back."

Tracey grinned ecstatically. "Okay! Hopefully I can find a place to live... and work... that will last until fall..." His smile quickly faded as his practicality got the better of him.

"I suppose it's not a very good idea in the end," Noelle said quietly.

"Yeah," Tracey mumbled. "Well, there's nothing to stop me from visiting your school, right?"

"You'd come visit me?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure. Even if they don't let guys like me past the front gate, we'll figure out something."

"You'll bring Seel, too?"

Tracey laughed at her growing eagerness. "Of course."

With their moods improving slightly, Tracey suggested they return to Cascade Hotel so he could draw Seel, as promised. He entertained the notion of pretending to attend Noelle's school so that she could introduce him to her parents as her fiancé. _What's wrong with me? _he asked himself. _I barely know her, and she's completely out of my league. _But his fantasies were all he had to make him happy, and he had to have something to keep his spirits up.

----

"I think he could go in a pokeball at this point," Audrey said as she carried Seel in his plastic tub filled with water and ice. "He's completely recovered from shock, I'm sure."

"Bringing him back this way was the whole point of my driving here," Tracey said, setting his and Audrey's bags in the trunk of his borrowed car. "And Professor Oak wants to look at him before he goes in a ball."

"Oh, right," Audrey agreed. "But still, you'll have to drive carefully after Celadon -- I won't be with you to keep an eye on him."

"I know," Tracey said in a subdued voice. "And it'll be dark. I disliked driving from Pallet to Cerulean in one day, but I didn't have much choice."

"You could stay with me for the night, if you want."

"I might. I'll see how tired I feel." He stretched and yawned.

"Nothing to fear from me, you know," the older woman continued. "Except my cluttered apartment. We'll have to sweep off the couch. Or maybe 'bulldoze' is a better word."

Tracey chuckled as he gazed up at the lovely Cascade Hotel. He honestly expected Noelle to stop by for a final farewell. From what little he knew, it didn't seem like her to miss a moment with Seel. Or, dare he dream, with himself. All night, he had replayed the memory of her tearful embrace, but he'd improvised with more romantic results. If she came to see him now, he might just act on them.

"Did you put Seel's food in the backseat?" Audrey asked, pulling him from his reverie.

"Oh... I'll get it." Tracey rooted through various bags in the trunk. When he stepped back with the small bag of dried formula in his arms, he saw Noelle standing beside him.

"Hi," she said softly. Seel splashed in his tub, and she smiled at the little pokemon.

"Hi," Tracey said. Even if it had to be in front of Audrey, it was now or never. He had to give Noelle something to remember him by. He leaned closer to her. "I--" he began.

"Do you have room for one more?" she asked, holding up a large travel bag.

Tracey blinked. "Uh... there's lots of space in the trunk. What is that, toys for Seel?"

Noelle giggled. "No, I meant room for another passenger. I want to come with you."

The package slipped from Tracey's hands, and he fumbled to catch it. "Really?" he asked, glancing at Audrey. Her devious grin told Tracey that she had known all along Noelle would be accompanying them.

Noelle laughed more. "My parents agreed to let me visit the University of Celadon with Audrey. I told them I'd look for a husband there."

"And they were okay with that?" Tracey asked incredulously.

She shrugged. "It's my last summer," she said with a wide smile. "Think Professor Oak will mind if I stay for a little while? Maybe even help with all the pokemon at the lab?"

"I know he won't mind." Tracey set Seel's bag of food on the backseat floor, then took Noelle's luggage and tucked it away in the trunk. As he shut the lid, he watched her pet the little pokemon, excitedly telling him that she'd be with him longer. He splashed about and licked her hand.

"Oh, yeah," Noelle started to say, looking up at Tracey and Audrey. "I thought of a name for him, if that's okay. I didn't know if I name I picked would count, but..." She trailed off, looking hopeful.

"Sure it does," Audrey encouraged her. "What did you come up with?"

"Littlefrost," Noelle answered. "Does that sound too silly? It was pretty in my head."

"It's lovely. Very poetic, don't you think so, Tracey?"

"Yes, I like it. Noelle should be in charge of giving nicknames to all the lab pokemon."

The girl beamed, looking happier than she had all week. Audrey handed her Littlefrost's tub, and she set it carefully on the backseat, climbing in after. As soon as Tracey and Audrey buckled their seatbelts, they pulled out of the Cascade Hotel parking lot, bound for the modern metropolis that was Celadon.

----

**Author's Notes**: In this world, the "default" name for any pokemon is the name of its species (as it is in the games). Kind of like how our cats are commonly nicknamed "Kitty." Actually, there's no excuse for anyone not to name his pokemon, _Tracey._ He must really have very little faith in his creativity, if he can't even invent nicknames for his beloved companions.

Tracey's father is the harbor master at Tangelo Island. This was the idea of an old friend of mine, back when he still wrote fanfiction. I doubt he minds that I'm using it.

Audrey, true to her character, doesn't have much to say. It's not that I left her out on purpose, but this is a chapter centered around Noelle and Tracey. I'm told I am best at dialogue, and I have to agree. However, the next chapter will highlight some action, as well as merge some different characters into the same city. I can't wait. See you in June!


	7. Instance of Water

**Chapter 7 - Instance of Water**

While Littlefrost slept in his tub of water, Noelle watched the Kanto countryside whisk past from the window in the backseat of Tracey's car. She had never passed so many small towns before; looking at the simple houses with children and pokemon frolicking outside made her feel as though she was seeing the real world, how real people lived. She asked Tracey and Audrey if this was how they grew up, but they both said no, and nothing more. Noelle figured they were preoccupied with the directions to Celadon, and continued watching.

The idyllic scenes of small-town Kanto paled in comparison to their arrival in the grand metropolis of Celadon, the home of Kanto's biggest university, which Audrey attended. Before dropping her off at her on-campus apartment, however, the three of them decided to get lunch. Tracey said he would call Professor Oak, since he needed to be informed that Noelle would be coming. Tracey wanted the professor and Noelle to meet face to face, so to speak, and drove to the nearest pokemon center to use one of their high-tech telephones.

Noelle stared in fascination at the contraption as Tracey dialed Professor Oak's number. Though she had seen video phones from a distance, this would be her first time witnessing a conversation and actually speaking to the other party. She felt somewhat silly to get excited over this everyday occurence, but it wasn't really her fault that she'd only used old-fashioned telephones. People in Pine City never felt a great need to view the person with whom they conducted phone business.

She glanced at Littlefrost, whose tub rested by her feet. Some of the kids at the pokemon center gave him curious looks. Noelle didn't pay too much attention to them, though, her attention being divided between being interested in the video phone and feeling nervous about speaking to Tracey's employer.

Ringing came from the receiver Tracey held to his ear, and the monitor read _Connecting: Please stand by_. Tracey looked up at Noelle and Audrey, both standing behind him. "He's probably preoccupied," he said with a roll of his eyes.

Audrey smirked. Noelle looked from one to the other, and was about to ask what Tracey meant when the phone's screen flickered, and a boy with wild brown hair appeared. "Tracey!" he greeted with a grin. "You're probably on your way back home, right?"

"Oh... hi, Gary," Tracey said in a flat tone. "Yeah, I'm in Celadon right now."

"Who's that with you?"

Noelle jumped a little in surprise, realizing that the speaker could actually see her. She waved shyly at him.

"Some friends, Audrey and Noelle," answered Tracey. His voice was still uncomfortable. "Is Professor Oak busy? I wanted to let him know we're on our way."

"No, I'll go get him. See you later." Gary set down his receiver and left.

Noelle put her hand on Tracey's shoulder. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

He glanced at her and smiled briefly. "Gary and I haven't always got along."

"He seems nice."

"Yeah, _seems_."

A man in a white lab coat and equally wild hair of grey sat down at the video phone. "I hear you're in Celadon, m'boy," he said to Tracey in a warm tone. "What news have you got?"

His shoulder relaxed under Noelle's hand. "Well, I brought Audrey back here."

"Hello, Miss Holly!" Professor Oak said, smiling wide.

"Hi, Professor," Audrey said, bending over Tracey's shoulder to speak more directly.

"How did your research at Cerulean Bay go?"

"Well, I couldn't really concentrate... so I guess it was more of a vacation."

"Those are even better. Right, Tracey?"

"Yes, I enjoyed my vacation very much," his assistant said. "I have the seel with me... and someone else, too."

"Oh?" Professor Oak drawled, sounding very interested.

"I hope it's okay with you, but I invited a friend I met to come and visit. See, she met Audrey before I got there, and she and the seel are kind of close."

"Is that so?" The professor's grin widened.

Even though he probably couldn't see past her shoulders, Noelle curtseyed out of habit before the screen. "It's nice to meet you, Professor," she said politely. "My name is Noelle."

"It's nice to meet you too, Noelle. How long can you stay with us?"

"The whole summer?" she asked hopefully with a glance at Tracey.

Professor Oak burst out laughing, and Noelle backed away, horrified that she'd offended him. "Don't worry," Tracey told her. "He just does that. Everything amuses him."

"I'm not laughing _at _you, Noelle," the professor reassured her. "It's just... you and Tracey must have really hit it off, if you want to stay the whole summer!"

Noelle blushed and turned away, but not before she noticed the pink in Tracey's cheeks as well. "I think it's the pokemon she's more interested in," he said. "She's always wanted to be around them, but never had the opportunity."

"Well, there's plenty of opportunity for that here."

"I'm really looking forward to it, Professor," Noelle said, calming down from the earlier embarrassment. "Thank you very much for letting me visit."

"No problem. Although, I hope you don't mind being the only girl... sharing a house with three eligible bachelors, even!"

Audrey let out a giggle.

"Come to think of it," Professor Oak continued, "we don't have any spare room. I'm already on the fold-out couch in the den since Gary moved back. I guess somebody's going to have to share!" He chortled again.

"Maybe we can work something out with Delia," Tracey suggested, his face bright red. "To have Noelle stay with her, I mean."

"Hmm? Oh yes, why didn't I think of that? I'm sure she'll be glad to have you stay, Noelle. I'll bring it up when I see her tonight for dinner."

"Who's Delia?" Noelle asked.

"Our neighbor," Tracey answered. "She lives by herself with her Mr. Mime, and she cooks for us a lot. She's the nicest woman in the world."

Professor Oak nodded. "So I'll see you later tonight?"

"Yeah, we'll be there. See you then."

Noelle waved to the professor as Tracey hung up. "Sorry about him," he said, running his fingers through his shaggy hair. "He takes some getting used to. I should have warned you."

"Although, his classes were always the highlight of my day," Audrey chimed in, looking nostalgic.

"I didn't realize that my staying there would be awkward," said Noelle. "I hope I'm not a bother to your neighbor."

"Don't worry about that at all. I'm sure Delia will like you a lot."

"She sounds nice. She lives by herself with no family and cooks for you? At least she's not a lonely old lady, huh?"

Audrey laughed so suddenly that she began coughing. Tracey chuckled and shook his head. "What?" Noelle asked frantically. "What did I say?"

----

After leaving the pokemon center, they stopped by the Celadon Department Store before taking Audrey home so she could pick up a few things. Noelle lingered next to a huge display of pokemon training supplies, and Audrey offered to pick up her purchases and return in a few minutes. Tracey, carrying Littlefrost's tub, stayed with Noelle.

"Do you really need all this stuff to train pokemon?" Noelle asked. There were backpacks, water bottles, gloves of all colors, pokedex battery chargers, badge holders, utility belts, and, most importantly, a variety of pokeballs: packages of six red and white ones, sets of three in blue and white, and singular balls of different colors. Noelle picked up a black sphere trimmed in narrow bands of red, gold, silver. "Why is this one sold separately? You get six in this pack," she noted.

"Some have added features. Supposedly, they're programmed inside to synchronize with a pokemon's brainwaves," said Tracey. "Those six-packs might be the best deal, but they're just plain storage balls."

Noelle turned the black ball in its plastic casing over, reading the back. "It's a luxury ball. 'Makes your pokemon more comfortable and friendly.' Littlefrost should have this, when he's ready to go in one." She looked up at Tracey. "Is it really okay for pokemon to live in these things?"

"Sure," he replied. "Their bodies are broken down into energy, and then the energy is stored in the ball. Then, when you let them out, they're sort of rebuilt -- only not literally."

Noelle stared at Littlefrost and then back up to Tracey, her eyes wide with shock.

"I know it sounds strange, but it's completely safe," he said. "In some cases, it's better for a pokemon to be in there. Like when it rains -- that can be dangerous for some fire-types."

"Really?" Noelle looked at the ball again. "Or maybe like having to carry around a water pokemon in a tub of cold water, huh?"

"I think he'd be okay to go in a ball now, personally," said Tracey. "If he did feel a little traumatized from being washed up on shore, he doesn't now. He eats a lot, which is good, and he acts happy." The seel, recognizing the attention, splashed his fins and stuck his tongue out.

"You think so?" Noelle wondered.

"It's my professional opinion." Tracey smiled. "Audrey thinks so too; she told me this morning. But we'll let Professor Oak have the final say."

When Audrey met up with them, Noelle decided to buy the luxury ball. They had no sooner left the store when she opened up the package, taking the ball out. "What's the rush?" Audrey asked.

"I just want to see what it feels like," said Noelle. "How do you make it smaller?"

"Push the button lightly," Tracey told her. "If you hold it down longer, it opens the ball."

She pressed the golden button with her thumb, surprised at how sensitive it was. However, she'd applied too much pressure -- the top half of the ball flipped open, and a red beam of light shot out. It engulfed Littlefrost and sucked him into the ball, which snapped itself shut. Noelle cried out and dropped it, then shrieked loudly as it wobbled on the ground.

Tracey and Audrey both gasped, and the three of them watched, speechless, until the ball stopped moving. "Littlefrost?" Noelle whispered.

"Good thing I had a professional opinion?" Tracey said dubiously, still clutching the tub of water.

Noelle snatched up the ball and mashed the button. The seel re-materialized in the same red light, looking up at her as if to say, "Here I am! I was hiding!"

"Oh, Littlefrost!" Noelle cried, kneeling down to stroke his head. "I didn't know that would happen! I'm so stupid!"

"It's okay, Noelle," said Audrey. "There's no reason for him not to be in a ball. It'll probably make your drive to Pallet Town a little easier, even."

"But... Professor Oak said..."

"We'll call him back," Tracey suggested. "I can tell him what I observed in Littlefrost over the past week, and I'm sure he'll agree."

"He'll really be okay?" Noelle continued to pet the seel while he licked her wrist.

"Don't worry about a thing." Audrey helped her stand up. "Go on and send him back in."

"Okay..." She watched nervously as Littlefrost's body disappeared into the black sphere, which she clutched protectively as they walked to the car. Audrey put her bags in the trunk while Tracey set the tub on the backseat floor.

The pokemon center was a couple of blocks away, so they decided to walk. "See, it's already more convenient this way," Tracey said, trying to reassure Noelle. "It's probably faster for us to walk there, with this traffic, and he wouldn't really like being carried that far."

"I guess," Noelle agreed reluctantly. She walked ahead of her friends by a couple of steps, eager to get to the center. Maybe someone there could take a personal look at Littlefrost...

With her eyes fixed on the ball in her hand, she failed to notice someone stepping out in front of her. The hurried passerby crashed into her, and she collapsed on the sidewalk. Different-colored pokeballs clattered all around them, rolling in every direction, and an empty box fell beside the young man.

"Noelle!" Tracey exclaimed, rushing to help her up. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"Ow..." Noelle rubbed her backside as she rose, the other hand clutching Tracey's arm for support.

"Sorry, I didn't see you!" the passerby, clambering upright, apologized breathlessly. "I was-- oh!" He snatched a pokeball that threatened to roll into the street, tossed it into his box, and scurried after the rest, brushing his long, pale blue hair away from his face.

"Littlefrost!" Noelle gasped, turning around in a circle. She grabbed the black luxury ball, which had rolled a few inches behind her.

Audrey helped the young man gather his collection. "Is that all of them?" she asked as he surveyed the ground, head whipping back and forth, hair flying.

"Yes, I believe so. There aren't any pokemon in them yet, anyway," he said in the same rushed voice. Then he ran past them. "Thank you! Sorry again!"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Audrey asked Noelle, who stared after him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She then examined her brand new pokeball, making sure it wasn't damaged.

"I could swear I know that guy," Tracey mumbled, also staring in the direction which he had fled.

"Oh _no!_" Noelle cried, mortified. She held out the open pokeball, but no seel emerged. "He took Littlefrost by mistake!" Without a second thought, she bolted down the sidewalk, faltering a little in her sandals, which were definitely not made for running.

She heard Tracey's and Audrey's footsteps behind her. "Maybe it wasn't a mistake!" Tracey called out. "If he's who I think he is, anyway!"

Running out of breath, Noelle slowed down until she couldn't run another step, reaching out to a lamppost to steady herself. "What's _wrong_ with me?" she said harshly between gasps, tears falling down her cheeks. "First the luxury ball, and now this!"

Audrey put her arm around her shoulders, drawing in Noelle to lean on her. "It's not your fault," she said. "I guess it's mine... I could have gone to the store after you dropped me off."

"You two stay here," Tracey said, and Noelle heard him run off.

"He'll never catch up," she lamented. "Just as he said Littlefrost was over his trauma, too..."

A few minutes later, Tracey returned. "I was right," he said, catching his breath. "I _do_ know him, and I figured out where he'd go with all those pokeballs. It's not far, come on." He led them down the intersecting street.

Noelle wiped her face with the back of her hand. "How did you know?"

"Because this is Scissor Street -- Celadon's breeders' district. He must be planning to steal a lot of purebred pokemon."

"Steal pokemon?" Noelle repeated, shocked.

Tracey stopped them at a corner and pointed to a building across from them, on the other side of the street. Beside it, the blue-haired man spoke closely with a woman, who wore a navy jacket and skirt, her magenta hair in a neat bun. She looked like a businesswoman, holding a clipboard and frequently glancing at the box of pokeballs, which rested on a bench.

"Good deduction, Tracey," said Audrey. "You _are _a sharp one."

"Is he selling her those balls?" Noelle asked.

"I don't think so," Tracey answered. "I think that's his partner, and she's in disguise. Most likely, they're going to swindle a few breeders out of their pokemon somehow. He let it slip back there that all those balls are empty."

Noelle was about to compliment and thank Tracey for his quick thinking when the criminal pair went inside the building. "What should we do?" she whispered fearfully.

Tracey narrowed his eyes as he watched the door close. "Let's go."

----

"Good afternoon, Miss," Jessie said to the teenage girl at the counter inside the prestigious pokemon salon.

"Hello!" the girl replied, snapping to attention as she took in Jessie's professional-looking attire. She pushed aside her magazine. "Do you have an appointment for your meowth?" She smiled down at him.

Meowth opened his mouth, but James nudged him with his foot. "Actually, we work for Silph, and we've been visiting pokemon centers and other businesses to upgrade their pokeballs," said Jessie. "These newer models haven't been released to the public yet, and since you're a reputable salon, we thought you should be included." James held up the box on cue.

"Oh... my supervisor's not here at the moment," the girl said. "You should probably talk to her first. She'll be back soon."

"That's all right. Mind if we take a look around and make sure we have enough of each model?"

"Uh... sure, go right ahead."

"Thank you." Jessie smiled and walked past the desk, turning a corner.

The girl batted her eyelashes and smiled sweetly at James. "So, Silph, huh? Do you get a lot of benefits there?"

"Oh, well..." James paused in his steps. "I don't know. A job's a job."

"Ever think of getting into breeding? Pokemon, that is." She giggled excessively.

James chuckled nervously. "Sometimes, yeah... I'd better go make sure she's not lost." He hurried to catch up with Jessie.

"What took ya so long?" Meowth snapped as James came through a curtained-off room. It was lined with plush furniture and huge pillows, on which several kinds of pokemon were dozing. A couple of them cracked open eyelids to investigate the newcomers, but they quickly closed them and went back to sleep.

"This is perfect!" Jessie whispered. "This must be some kind of relaxation area."

"It won't work, I'm telling you!" James protested softly. "All of these pokemon are out of their balls! How will we switch?"

"Oh, details. We'll just have to find the balls."

"Can I be of any help?"

All three of them yelped as the teenage girl entered the room and spoke up. "You startled us! We were just admiring all the pokemon!" Jessie said artfully. "You must do fabulous work -- they look so relaxed!"

"Well, _I _don't work with the pokemon, but I do give great massages." She looked pointedly at James until a loud bell dinged from the entrance. "I have to get that; no one else is on duty until Suzie gets back. I'll be at the desk if you need anything. My name's Kimi, by the way." She waved and left.

"Do ya _need _anyt'ing, Jimmy?" Meowth asked, mocking him.

He set the box on the floor, stretching his back. "Maybe that massage," he mumbled.

"Hmph." Jessie sniffed disdainfully and nabbed a black pokeball, pointing it at a nidoran on a large purple pillow. The red beam, instead of surrounding the nidoran, shot to the floor, where a seel materialized before them. It looked up at them, making a quizzical sound.

"I thought you said you got brand new ones!" yelled Jessie.

Before James could defend himself, the curtain flapped open and a different girl rushed in. "That's my seel!" she cried. James recognized her from his earlier crash.

"Is that so?" Jessie asked, stepping in front of it. "Looks like it's our seel now." She returned the pokemon to the confines of the luxury ball.

Noelle gasped while the woman in navy laughed, tossing the ball carelessly back in the box with the rest. She could have sworn the meowth at her feet was laughing as well.

"What's going on back here?" The girl from the front desk, followed by Tracey and Audrey, burst into the room. "I'm going to have to see some identification," the girl said to the criminal duo. "These people say you're not to be trusted."

"You should have asked for that before you let us in, Kimi dear," replied the woman with a satisfied smirk. Grabbing a red and white ball from the pile, she aimed it for the nidoran once more.

"Marill, water gun!" Tracey's order came swiftly, before his marill had even fully come out of her ball, but she understood perfectly. Her powerful spray knocked the ball from Jessie's hand. Startled by the attack, the room's dozen pokemon raced for cover, darting around the room in all directions, confused by one another.

The angered woman glared at Tracey. "You! From the Orange Islands!"

"You still don't realize you can't use pokeballs on captured pokemon?" he said in an amused tone. "Nice to see some things haven't changed after a few years."

"You're still a little know-it-all. That hasn't changed, either," Jessie huffed. "But losing the headband was a definite improvement."

Tracey's smug smile transformed into a hard look. "Another water gun should cool her off, Marill!"

Jessie reached into her blazer and whipped out her own pokeball. "Go, Lickitung! Use wrap!"

Rooted to the floor in the middle of the room, Noelle felt powerless to take any action. She'd seen pokemon battles on television, but those had been monitored competitions between trainers. Tracey's assault with Marill seemed so forceful, so unlike him.

Kimi raced by her with a bulbasaur clutched in her arms, and Noelle realized that she was trying to round up as many of the confused pokemon as she could find. She snapped out of her panic and stared at the box of pokeballs, currently sitting on the opposite side of Jessie's heated battle with Tracey. If she could get there somehow, she could retrieve Littlefrost's ball...

Something else caught her eye just then: a smoochum, wandering aimlessly without any fear in its wide blue eyes. Compelled to help in any way possible, Noelle made a dash for it, scooped it up protectively, and dived into a tight corner beside the nearest couch. "Stay here," she whispered to the smoochum, setting it between the couch and the wall. It stared up at her curiously, but didn't move.

A hand on her shoulder made her gasp loudly. Noelle whipped her head around, hoping to find Audrey, who had apparantly disappeared when the chaos started. Instead, she was surprised to see the one called James, holding out a black pokeball. "Here," he said quietly.

"What--" she started to say.

He pressed it into her hands. "It's your seel."

Noelle opened the ball right away, and, once materialized, Littlefrost nuzzled her hand, relieved and happy. She gave James an incredulous look.

"I know what it's like to be away from a pet," James said. "Although, in my case, it's been a long time."

"I--" Noelle began, but shrieked as a rattata bounced off her head from the couch, and scurried away.

"Better keep him somewhere safe," James suggested, nodding towards Littlefrost.

Noelle returned him to his ball, reduced its size successfully, and stuck it in the pocket of her capri pants. "Why are you helping me?" she asked.

Before he could answer, Noelle heard a squeal from Marill as she rolled like a ball towards the couch. Noelle directed her attention to Tracey long enough to see Jessie's pokemon lick him slowly with its impossibly long tongue. He twitched and fell to his hands and knees, unable to move.

"Looks like he's been paralyzed," James said. "It's never a good idea to make Jessie mad. I wonder what he said to her..."

"Marill, are you okay?" Noelle asked, touching her fur. She rolled over onto her feet and shook her head, squeaking confidently at her trainer's friend.

"Then use water gun!" Noelle ordered, pointing at Jessie. "Full power! Knock her down and show her what it feels like!" She felt a peculiar rush from saying that. After all, it was her very first pokemon battle command.

Marill's vengeful attack knocked Jessie's feet out from under her, and she fell into a wet, rumpled heap. Noelle's hands flew to her mouth in shock; she didn't expect the attack to be so ruthless.

Jessie swore as she clambered back upright, recalling her lickitung back to its ball. "Forget it! Let's go, James! Come on, Meowth!" She snatched the box and marched for the curtained doorway, dripping a trail of water. But a figure stepped through the curtain and stood resolutely, blocking her path.

"You're not going anywhere with those pokeballs," he said.

"Oh?" Jessie's voice overflowed with annoyance. "And what are _you _going to do about it?"

He grabbed her wrist and stared at her intensely. From her position on her knees at the back of the room, Noelle couldn't be certain, but she thought his hand was glowing very dark purple. Suddenly Jessie screamed in terror. She simultaneously dropped the box and yanked her hand away, then darted past the young man and out of the salon. Meowth bounded away after her.

James sighed and stood up. "And here I thought I might be one day closer to going home and seeing my growlithe," he said. "Ah, well."

Something clicked together in Noelle's mind. "Wait, what?" she asked him.

He shuffled towards the door without looking back. "Wait!" Noelle called, jumping to her feet. "James! James Morgan!"

All eyes were on her, but if she didn't say something now, she'd lose the chance. "It's me. Noelle Winter."

She saw the recognition in his green eyes and the briefest of smiles before he ran after his partners.

----

Author's Note: I'm extra pleased with the way this turned out. Even my beta reader couldn't find any mistakes. Thanks, Logan:D

Maybe my action scenes are getting better? I sure hope so, because there will be a lot of them in the future.

Chapter 8 coming next week! Probably. If life doesn't get in my way. xx


	8. The Jade Road

**Chapter 8 - The Jade Road**

Audrey knelt by Tracey, holding her hand to his back. She nodded to Hiroyuki, and he sprayed the paralyze heal medicine over Tracey. He twitched and shuddered as the feeling came back to his nerves, and he sat up slowly on his knees. Audrey rubbed his back. "You feeling all right?" she asked.

"I... had no idea... that would happen," he whispered slowly.

"Good thing this stuff works on people," Hiroyuki said, looking at the bottle in his hand. "I didn't think it would."

Tracey stared at this newcomer, perplexed. "This is Hiroyuki," Audrey supplied.

Just as she spoke, Noelle rushed over with Marill close behind. "Are you okay?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yeah," Tracey said, smiling up at her. "I really got licked in that battle."

Audrey sighed. "He'll be just fine," she said drolly.

Hiroyuki rose to his impressive height, well over six feet. He held out a hand and pulled Tracey up with little effort. "Did you really have Marill attack Jessie like that?" Tracey asked Noelle.

Marill squeaked proudly, but Noelle bit her bottom lip guiltily. "I didn't know what else to do... she used her lickitung on you, and Marill was right there next to me."

"I think it was the right thing to do, given the circumstances." Tracey rotated his shoulder, still coaxing his body to move. "What happened after that? I heard someone talking, and then Jessie screamed. They left, didn't they?"

"He happened." Hiroyuki nodded in the direction of another young man, one with very long, bright red hair and a black trench coat. He was helping Kimi to coax the still-frightened pokemon out of their hiding places.

"Where were you, anyway?" Noelle turned to Audrey.

"I went to call the police," the older woman said, in defense of Noelle's slightly accusatory tone. "But before I finished dialing, these two came in. They said they'd take care of everything."

"He said it, not me." Hiroyuki held up his hands in protest.

"These two just happened to show up and knew what was happening?" Tracey asked Audrey. "What, were they spying on us?"

"_He's _the one on the big quest," Hiroyuki insisted. "I'm just here because I wanted to leave home."

"Oh no," Audrey said in a low voice, looking over her shoulder at the red-haired young man. "Even after all this time?"

"I think he was waiting until he finished high school," said Hiroyuki. "Of course, that was a couple of years ago. I didn't see him for awhile after that. I think he spent some time in Hoenn -- his family recently moved there, after all."

The color suddenly drained from Audrey's face. "He took what I told him seriously, didn't he?"

Noelle's and Tracey's puzzled looks had to wait to be answered, as the young man in question joined them, with Kimi following. "Greetings, all," he said with a warm smile. "Miss Kimi and I have accounted for all the pokemon, save one."

"That one." Kimi pointed to Noelle's feet, where a smoochum had come. "That's the last. They're all safe, thank goodness."

"Hello there," said Noelle, bending down to stroke its head of blonde hair.

"Littlefrost," Tracey said suddenly, turning to the discarded box of pokeballs. It lay on its side by the doorway, contents spilled all over the floor.

"He's right here." Noelle reached into her pocket and showed him the luxury ball, shrunken to travel size. "James gave him back to me."

Tracey's brown eyes narrowed, and Audrey knew immediately what the dark expression on his face meant. She was dying to find out just how Noelle and James knew each other, but Tracey battled curiosity, jealousy, and humiliation all at once. Audrey longed to tell him that she sympathized.

The red-haired newcomer broke the awkward silence by plucking the ball from Noelle's outstretched palm. "Ah, yes," he said, holding it up. "The perfect pokeball for your beloved seel." At Noelle's shocked look, he replaced it. Then he turned her hand over and lifted it gracefully, planting a kiss there. "Forgive me, my lady," he said. "I wouldn't dream of parting you from your Littlefrost."

Audrey was sure that he'd taken the luxury ball in the first place just for the purpose of this act. Hiroyuki's eyeroll confirmed it. Tracey, completely flabbergasted, stared with his mouth open.

"My name is Midori Rougan," he continued saying to the blushing Noelle. He retracted his hand and reached into one side of his coat. "I have something you might--"

_"What happened in here?" _

Everyone looked up at the doorway, where a woman with long teal hair stood with her hands on her hips. "Kimi!" she called. The teenage assistant took cover behind Midori.

They helped Suzie, the salon's owner, straighten the room and mop up the water from Marill's attacks while they explained what happened. From their descriptions of Jessie and James, she said that they sounded familiar, like the pair of shady stylists who had tried to run her out of business several years ago.

For their assistance, Suzie insisted they take gifts. She gave Tracey an exotic blue pot encrusted with jewels. "It's filled with sea incense," she explained. "For your marill. Water pokemon love it." To Audrey, Hiroyuki, and Midori, she handed three large, silvery pearls, rare treasures prized by collectors.

"We can't really accept these," Tracey said humbly.

"Nonsense, I insist." Suzie waved her hand at him. "Now, I could swear I had another of those pearls..." She rooted around in the trunk she'd carried from one of the back rooms.

"She's notorious for giving presents," said Kimi, patting the side of the trunk. "Even pokemon. Half of the ones around the salon belong to her, because she breeds them. She never keeps them all."

Suzie looked up, blinking thoughtfully. Her eyes fell to the smoochum that hadn't left Noelle's side once. "Kimi's right. How'd you like a smoochum?" she said to Noelle.

"What?" Noelle asked incredulously. "I can't just... I mean..."

"I don't think you have a choice, anyway. The way she's been following you, I'm guessing you made an impression on her."

"All I did was hide her away from the battle..."

"That's all it takes, really," Suzie said. "Pokemon that are very young will latch onto others, especially those that are kind and protective. If you leave without her, she probably won't take it well. I'd better go get her pokeball." She whisked away behind the curtain.

"But... shouldn't she be the one?" Noelle asked. "If she raised her?"

"Suzie spends half her time working at her breeding center," Kimi answered. "She doesn't bond with the pokemon very much, since she works with so many."

"Is it all right to just give away pokemon like that, though? Isn't this the smoochum's home?"

"It's perfectly fine, Noelle." Suzie came back with a red and white ball. "Pokemon are very adaptable as long as someone takes good care of them. Why, just last week, the new champion of the Indigo League came in here and donated five of his pokemon to my breeding center, all because he wanted them to relax while he goes to Johto. It was so nice of him." She smiled happily, undoubtedly thinking that it was also nice for her breeding career.

"Yes, I hope he comes back to see me," Kimi said with a dreamy sigh. "I mean, them. His pokemon."

They left the salon, waving and thanking Suzie still. "That was generous of her," Hiroyuki said, tossing the pearl up in the air lightly and catching it.

"I'll say," Audrey seconded. "This will really help with my school expenses for fall."

"Midori?" Noelle spoke up. She and Tracey walked behind the three old friends. "Did you say you had something for me?"

"Ah, yes!" Midori paused. "But let's wait a bit. I have somewhere I'd like to take you."

----

Tracey drove the five of them, according to Midori's directions, to the north end of Celadon. They left the metropolis behind them and entered a residential area, where every house they passed was bigger than the one before it. In all the time she'd spent at the university, Audrey had never been to this ritzy part of town, though she had a good idea where they might be headed.

"There it is," Midori pointed out. A long, paved driveway led to a hilltop mansion. Several sections of vines made their way up the sides and even along the columns of the huge house, accenting it rather than obscuring. In the front yard, two elegant willow trees, placed at equal distances from the walkway, swayed in the late spring breeze.

Noelle stood behind as Midori led the others to the front door. "It's bigger than my house," she whispered.

Tracey paused with her. "I can't imagine what it's like to have that much room to live."

"It feels like being surrounded by a lot of empty space," Noelle said bleakly.

Hiroyuki glanced over his shoulder at them, then came back to where they stood. "Don't worry," he said. "It only _looks_ like Midori's about to barge into some rich family's house announced and make an idiot out of himself. But a friend of ours lives here. She and her parents are very nice."

Midori grinned at the butler, who answered the door. "Tell Mistress Erika that Midori Rougan and his party are here to see her," he said.

They waited in the foyer, admiring everything from the polished floor to the large, antique chandelier, holding candles instead of light bulbs. Soon a young woman trotted down the winding staircase. She was tall and thin with shoulder-length, blue-black hair. She held up her long skirt so she wouldn't trip as she descended. "Hello, Midori," she greeted with a nod of her head, stepping from the last stair.

"Milady." Midori bowed extravagantly.

Erika broke into a grin and rushed over to hug him. "It's good to see you again." Then she embraced Hiroyuki just as warmly. "And you too, of course, Hiro."

Hiroyuki blushed a little and mumbled a salutation. Erika gave Audrey a hug last, and turned to Noelle and Tracey. "Sorry, but seeing as I don't know you yet..." she said teasingly.

"They're Tracey and Noelle," Midori introduced them.

"It's very nice to meet you," Erika said politely. "Come on into the sitting room, and I'll get us some tea."

Audrey sat on the sofa beside Noelle, while Tracey took the spot on the blue-haired girl's other side, naturally. Midori and Hiroyuki sat in two plush chairs across from them. A glass coffee table divided the seats, upon which Erika placed a tray. She distributed teacups and poured the brew without spilling a drop. Then she brought a wooden chair from the nearby writing desk, sitting down in it by the end of the table so that she could readily pour more tea.

"I believe I can get straight to the point," Midori said. He reached into his long coat, which he had not removed, and pulled out a slim black case. He opened it, picked up something small from inside, and snapped the case shut. "I would like you to have this, Noelle." He leaned across the table.

Noelle held out her hand as Midori deposited the item there. It was a silver token with a thick, curved black line etched on its face. In the center lay a piece of smooth, pale green rock.

"Oh, Midori," Audrey said softly. "You still have those?"

"But of course. Did you think I'd given up?"

Noelle looked back and forth at Audrey and Midori. "What is it?"

"It's a Jade Road badge," Midori answered.

Tracey leaned in to study it in Noelle's palm. "Like a gym badge?" he asked.

"Perhaps. Are you familiar with gym badges, Noelle?"

"I read about them," she said. "The gym leader gives you a badge if you defeat him, right? Then having all the regional badges lets you compete in the annual Indigo League tournament?"

Midori nodded. "That's part of it. The badges affect a trainer's pokemon as well. That is, they can raise pokemon's strength, speed, or obedience."

"Really? How is that possible?"

"Science!" Midori raised his hand in a theatric gesture, his voice deepening as if quoting something. Hiroyuki gave him a pointed look. "Sorry." Midori grinned apologetically.

"So what does a Jade Road badge do?" Noelle asked.

"It can help you to better understand your pokemon."

Noelle furrowed her brows in thought. "Are you a gym leader?"

"No," said Midori. "But I am the master of the Jade Road."

Noelle glanced at Tracey, who raised a skeptical eyebrow. Then she took notice of everyone else. Audrey shifted in her seat, Hiroyuki gazed around the sitting room, and Erika sipped her tea, purposefully not meeting anyone's eyes. Looking down at the trinket in her hand a final time, Noelle asked, "So why me? Why not Tracey? Marill belongs to him, after all."

"But the way you commanded her water gun, without much prior experience with her, makes you worthy," said Midori. "And let's not forget that your smoochum took to following _you_. Your seel formed an instant bond with _you_."

"I..." Noelle started to say. "Wait, how did you know about Littlefrost?"

"I shall tell you more soon, milady," he answered. "Perhaps in private. I wanted our friends to witness this moment, but the things I must explain are better left to those of us who possess badges."

"He means him and me," Erika said. "Sorry about that, Tracey."

"Eh?" Tracey was startled that she'd spoken to him. "Oh, no, it's okay. Members only, huh?"

"You get used to it," Hiroyuki told him.

Audrey watched Noelle smile politely at her grandiose friend, then reach for her tea. Midori gave Audrey a knowledgeable look, and the older woman turned her gaze elsewhere.

----

Erika insisted that she, Midori, and Noelle have their talk after dinner, or possibly even the next morning. She wanted everyone to enjoy the rest of the evening, so she invited them all to stay the night, especially since Tracey and Noelle still had a few hours' drive ahead of them. Though she felt imposing, with her apartment not far, Audrey couldn't refuse Erika's hospitality.

After their dinner of banquet proportions (which Chef Gerard reluctantly prepared, Erika said), Midori, Hiroyuki, and Erika saw to feeding everyone's pokemon, and Tracey called Professor Oak to update him on the change of plans. Noelle, meanwhile, sought a quiet refuge on the terrace. Her smoochum went with her, disinterested in eating. Audrey found the blue-haired girl seated in a padded chair, studying the Jade Road badge in her hand. The smoochum explored the potted plants, occasionally batting at small buds.

"Are you all right?" Audrey asked.

All traces of Noelle's earlier cheerfulness were gone. "Doesn't anybody realize I can't keep them?" she asked sadly, glancing at the smoochum. "First Suzie gave her to me, and now Midori singles me out for his badge? How am I supposed to 'better understand' my pokemon when I have to leave them in Pallet Town?"

"It might turn out differently," Audrey said. "Not many things happen expectantly."

Noelle considered her words for a moment. "I guess... I mean, I'm here in Celadon with everyone, and two days ago I was sure I'd be alone in Cerulean." She smiled briefly. "So... does this badge thing really do something? What did he mean?"

Audrey paused, unsure of how to answer. She felt Noelle's eyes on her.

"How did he find me, anyway? And how did he know about Littlefrost?" she asked suspiciously. "Did you say something to him beforehand?"

Audrey smirked in the way that one knows she's caught. "I've known Midori for four years, yes. Erika and Hiroyuki too. Last week, Midori emailed me just to catch up. He said he was coming to Celadon to pay a visit to Erika. I told him about finding Littlefrost, and how you helped me take care of him, and bonded with him in a matter of days. I think he took that to mean something more than I intended -- that is, he blew it out of proportion. And, since I also mentioned that I'd be returning to the university, and that I might be able to see him, he made sure he was in a situation to meet you."

"I see," Noelle said slowly. "Midori's a stalker lost in a fantasy world."

Audrey chuckled. "That might be a little harsh. He's really very idealistic, and has a romantic way of looking at things. After all, he's a drifter. His family lives in Hoenn, but he prefers to go from place to place around here. It's granted him a very unique vision of the world." She pursed her lips in thought. "Noelle, listen. Midori's really a good person at heart. But he's got these badges, and he's making a big deal out of finding the right people to give them to."

"So he has a system for choosing people? He doesn't just pick them at random?"

"He's got it figured out, yes. But before he talks to you about why he chose you, and what the badge is capable of, I want to clarify something first."

Noelle sat up on the edge of her chair, her pale blue eyes wide.

Audrey paused and took in a breath. "Please don't take anything Midori says too seriously. He tends to over-dramatize."

"What... does that mean?" Noelle asked, looking very apprehensive.

Audrey glanced over her shoulder, then leaned closer to Noelle, lowering her voice. "In essence, these badges were designed to be communication devices between humans and pokemon. But they're not perfect. There's a reason the technology isn't made public... and probably won't be developed for awhile."

"Really?" Noelle whispered incredulously. "So I can use this to talk to Littlefrost? How's it work?"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. If you want to be able to use it, you have to wear it next to your skin. And you have to have an strong emotional bond with your pokemon. So it might take awhile for it to work properly."

"I can't believe it," Noelle said, staring intently at the small badge.

"There's more," said Audrey. "Use it with caution, okay? There are things that can happen if--"

The terrace's screen door flew open, and Marill burst out, a meowth chasing her. Audrey recognized her as Nyassi, Midori's oldest pokemon. She seemed to want to play with Marill's bouncing tail, but the frightened water mouse wanted nothing of it. Tracey soon showed up, holding out his arms for Marill to take refuge.

"Nyaasi!" Audrey scolded lightly. "I thought you knew better than to chase after a pokemon you just met." Nyaasi's reponse was to meow and wash her face demurely, but she looked up again as the smoochum approached, batting at the meowth's tail.

Everyone giggled at the sight. "Looks like she's a bad influence," Tracey said. Nyaasi swished her tail back and forth, much to the delight of the young pokemon. Marill watched intently.

"I guess I should think of a name for her," Noelle said. "We can't very well have Littlefrost and Smoochum."

"I don't know who chooses some of these species names for pokemon," Tracey remarked with a roll of his eyes. "I think Professor Oak's been behind a few of them."

Audrey smiled sadly as Noelle explained the workings of the Jade Road badge to Tracey. _You're a smart girl, Noelle, _she thought. _I know you'll be careful with your badge... I know we won't have a repeat of the first incident..._

_----_

Author's Notes: I made this chapter a little shorter, because I wanted to emphasize the significance of Noelle's two prizes: her smoochum and her badge. Longtime EW readers will note that how she comes by these two is quite different. Also, rather than have Midori present a badge to her and leave with his coat flapping in the wind, it's stated right here and now what they do. Of course, that's not the whole story... muahaha.

If you're dying to know about Noelle and James, that will be explained in chapter 9. Because I'm evil.


	9. On Our Way

**Chapter 9 - On Our Way**

The next morning, Tracey and Audrey headed out to the University of Celadon. Tracey was disappointed that Noelle had chosen to stay with Erika and Midori to have their private discussion about the mysterious Jade Road. Since last night's dinner, Noelle had seemed quiet, and he hoped that he and Audrey could cheer her up together, since Audrey would be staying at her campus-side apartment while Tracey and Noelle continued on their way to Pallet Town.

Noelle thanked Audrey profusely for everything she'd done. The older woman petted Littlefrost and told him to take care of Noelle as much as she'd taken care of him. She gave Noelle a big hug along with her email address and telephone number. Last, she bid farewell to Erika, Midori, and Hiroyuki, though the chances of seeing them again were more likely.

"It feels nice, knowing I'll be missed," Audrey remarked as she and Tracey drove away.

"Doesn't your family miss you?" Tracey asked. "Or are they nearby?"

Audrey snorted. "They're in Goldenrod. They kicked me out at seventeen."

"What?" Tracey looked at her with wide eyes, then braked hastily for a stop sign.

"It was for the best. I worked hard and got accepted at U.C. All on my own, too. I apprenticed with Dr. Quackenpoker for a year -- his recommendation got me in, along with grants and scholarships. Even if I had still been at home, my parents couldn't have paid for a thing."

"Hey, I met him a few years ago," Tracey said. "I helped him count magikarp."

Audrey laughed. "For anybody else, that sounds pretty lame."

"'How a magikarp got in my pajamas, I'll never know,'" Tracey quoted the famous scientist.

Audrey giggled for a long time. "He really helped me through that time," she said with a sigh. "Everything in my life had hit rock bottom."

"Why did they kick you out? If I can ask... you don't have to tell me."

She smiled sadly. "They found out about my girlfriend."

"Oh..." Tracey whispered.

"If only they had waited a week later to catch us. That's when she left me for her fabulous career."

"I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. She's famous now, so I'm sure she's happy. Comes from a well-to-do family, so she had to leave her legacy. She started out as a gym leader in Cerulean when I was with her. That's kind of why I went there this week. Silly, isn't it?"

"Gym leader?" Tracey repeated dubiously. "I... know the Cerulean gym leaders..."

"She was in charge before they came along. She was tough; no one could defeat her, so the Indigo League declared her a pokemon master and told her she had to quit. I'm pretty sure the heads of the League want their gym leaders to let the kids win. Erika doesn't believe me, though."

Tracey shook his head in disbelief. "Sounds plausible, though. I've watched enough gym battles. If they're such official experts, why do so many of them lose to barely-experienced trainers?"

"It's all a way to make money." Audrey rested her head against the seat, sighing. "I went to the Cerulean gym, even. Such a waste, the way those girls have turned it into a poolside theater. It used to be such a beautiful place of water and ice."

After a long pause, Tracey said, "You didn't have to tell me all that. Noelle's not even here with us, and you've known her longer."

"Only by a couple of days. And besides, I think you and I sort of understand each other."

He nodded. "Yeah, you're right about that."

"Just between us, though," Audrey said in a more serious tone, "I don't know what Noelle would think of me if I told her about this. She's a sweet girl, but with her background... I don't want her to shut me out because of my lifestyle."

"You think Noelle wouldn't be accepting?"

"I don't know, that's the thing. She doesn't act like a typical spoiled rich girl, but she does have a very limited view of the world because she's been so sheltered. She may not know how to handle us deviants." She sighed again. "I'm just being cautious, that's all. My own _parents _wouldn't even try to live with it. You really learn to be on your guard after something like that."

Tracey gripped the steering wheel. "Noelle can't be like your parents," he protested. "She just can't."

"I hope she's not... for your sake."

After another moment of silence, Audrey asked, "Hey, would you like to see the campus? Maybe we'll find my sister, Faye."

"Your sister goes here?"

"Yes, she's the only one of my family who accepts me, so she left Goldenrod as soon as she could. She's even staying for summer vacation."

Spanning several blocks with its very old buildings, the University of Celadon seemed like its own town. Audrey's apartment was right behind a coffee shop and a laundromat, located within a short walking distance to the school. After they set her bags in her small kitchen, Audrey and Tracey strolled through campus. Though it was summer, many students hung around outside, reading in the shade or playing frisbee with pokemon.

"They have pokemon care here?" Tracey asked.

"Oh, sure. Students are allowed to bring any pokemon with them."

"That's better than Noelle's boarding school."

They left the dorm area and headed to the academic halls, the real places of interest. Tracey wanted to see the biology department, where Audrey studied. As they approached the entrance, however, they heard hurried footsteps and someone calling Audrey's name.

She stopped to identify the approaching person. "Hi!" she called out, waving.

"Did you just get back?" the girl asked as she caught up to them, pouncing Audrey with a giant hug.

"Yes, a few minutes ago. I'm giving Tracey here a tour." Audrey turned to him. "This is Faye, my sister. Faye, he's Tracey Sketchit -- Professor Oak's assistant."

"Oh, awesome." Faye shook Tracey's hand. "Audrey had classes with him." The sisters looked very similar with their thick, reddish-brown hair, wide green eyes, and curved figures. Faye's hair was longer, though, and she lacked glasses. She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, Tracey's age.

The three of them lingered through the pokemon biology department inside, passing many exhibits of study inside glass cases. Several times, Tracey lamented leaving his sketchbook at Erika's house; the plastic models of pokemon interiors fascinated him.

Faye shook her head and grinned. "No matter how many times I see them, they're still creepy," she remarked. She tapped the glass encasing a diorama of a miltank's four-part stomach.

"Enjoying the sights, are we?" Someone who was clearly a professor walked up to them. "How are my houseguests doing this afternoon?" he asked congenially.

"Just fine, Dr. Haruna," Audrey answered. Tracey's nerves jolted as he realized he didn't recognize his host, Erika's father. To be fair, Dr. Haruna had arrived late the previous night, and left early that morning, so Tracey didn't get much of a chance to meet him.

"Forgive me for not being at home very long," he apologized. "This place does keep me busy. It's Tracey, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm really impressed with the research here," Tracey said, hoping that he didn't sound too vague.

"Dr. Haruna is the head of the pokemon biology department," Audrey supplied. "He's a little tired of seeing me around here."

"My favorite student? Hardly."

To his shock, Tracey realized that this was _the _Dr. Takehiko Haruna, the famous biologist. "I've read some of your books!" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

The doctor's thin black eyebrows rose curiously. "Have you now?" he asked, half amused and half curious.

"For a report Professor Oak put together," Tracey elaborated, his cheeks flushing. "I usually have to research the details..."

Dr. Haruna stared at him. "_You're _Samuel Oak's research assistant? I'm the one flattered to meet _you_. Audrey, you should have told me!"

It took Tracey a moment to gather that Dr. Haruna was speaking genuinely, not being sarcastic. He gave Faye, who had been quiet, a puzzled look. She shrugged and smiled. "I feel so out of place," she said with an accepting laugh.

"Why so shocked?" Dr. Haruna asked Tracey. "Surely you know that Professor Oak's previous assistants have gone on to succeed in the scientific community. Now I have the honor of meeting our next prodigy!"

"But I'm not... I just feed all the pokemon, mainly," Tracey said, fumbling for the right words. "I don't think I've contributed much of anything..."

"Don't listen to him," Audrey said. "He's modest to a fault."

"Tracey," Dr. Haruna said seriously, leaning in closer to him. "Have you given any thought to your future?" It was an open question, not reprimanding or belittling.

"I--" Tracey started to say. The truth was that his uncertain future had been bothering him since Gary's arrival. "I really want to follow in Professor Oak's footsteps... but I'm not sure how. I always thought he'd pass on everything to me gradually over time, but now it seems like he's ready to give it all to his grandson, who only showed interest in his research a few weeks ago." _Great, now I'm venting to him, _he thought. _He's really going to think I'm an idiot now. _

Dr. Haruna nodded. "Don't take it personally. Getting to Professor Oak's level involves more than him dropping all his projects in your lap when he retires. We're all sure that it'll be any day now. Let his upstart grandson handle that -- what you need is a formal education and a degree or two."

Tracey blinked. "Well... of course I'd have to go to college someday. Oh, and the University of Celadon is my first choice, definitely."

Dr. Haruna grinned. "That's good to know, because I meant you should start this fall."

"What?" asked Tracey incredulously. "I can't start then! I... I never went to high school!"

The doctor waved his hand dismissively. "High school is for regular kids. We have a program to admit students at the college level if they already demonstrate superb knowledge of their field. Take Miss Faye here -- she's not in my department, but I understand she's quite the computer genius."

Faye smiled. "Just finished my first year. Infinitely better than Goldenrod's public high schools."

"She's right," Audrey added. "I actually went through the ordeal."

"But... how do I afford it? And what about entrance exams? I haven't had time to study or anything..." Tracey's head spun with all the details.

"You shouldn't have to worry too much about that, given your position," said Dr. Haruna. "Why don't you talk it over with Professor Oak? I've got some application papers and relevant information you can take with you. Come to my office with me."

As he followed, Tracey glanced over his shoulder at Audrey and Faye, who smiled with encouragement. Dr. Haruna's office was just around the corner, and Tracey noticed its clutter right away. Genius professors were required to be messy, he mused.

"Here we are." The doctor handed him a course catalogue, then pushed around stacks of papers and books on a desk, looking for more. Tracey stared mutely at the catalogue cover, trying to imagine himself in such a prestigious institution as the University of Celadon.

"This is it." Dr. Haruna's voice snapped him out of his daze. He held out some papers, the top being an application for admission. "You all right there?"

"It just seems so... sudden," Tracey said quietly. "You make it sound like you really want me here. I'm not used to hearing that."

Dr. Haruna's businesslike air melted into one of sympathy. "You belong here, Tracey," he said. "I can just tell, especially if you're Audrey's friend. People of learning have to stick together, you know." He looked up at the door to make sure no one was coming, then motioned for Tracey to come in farther. "Between you and me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "there probably isn't much more you're going to learn from Professor Oak. The man's hailed as a pokemon expert, yes, but that was ten or fifteen years ago. I wasn't kidding about him retiring at any time. I don't think he's aware that he should."

Tracey blinked. "You think I'm wasting my time with him?"

"Not if you enjoy it, of course not. But you sounded just a little apathetic about being his assistant."

"I--" Tracey started to defend himself. He stared at the overflowing trash can while he collected his thoughts. "To be honest, I idolized him growing up. I didn't get along well in grade school, so I left to become a pokemon watcher, which is how he got his start. It was my dream to meet him and have him advise me on how to make a career out of studying pokemon."

Dr. Haruna nodded, folding his arms across his chest.

"A couple of years ago, my dream came true," Tracey continued. "And better than I'd hoped, he asked if I wanted to be his assistant. I thought it was the greatest thing to ever happen to me... but after a couple of months, I realized it wasn't what I expected. He doesn't do that much research, and he spends most of his time with--" He caught himself before he could mention the young, still-legally-married Delia Ketchum. "With friends."

"Hmm," Dr. Haruna said thoughtfully.

"Meanwhile, I do most of the cleaning up, and I feed all the pokemon, half of which don't belong to us." Tracey sighed deeply. "I know I sound ungrateful, but it's just not what I imagined."

"You're fine, Tracey. Professor Oak contributed a wealth of knowledge in his lifetime, so he deserves to relax. But I hope you realize that I'm not putting down your idol."

"I don't know if he is my idol anymore," Tracey mumbled, then looked up at the doctor, horror-stricken at what he'd just admitted. "I mean... when I was younger, he seemed like this great famous genius, totally unapproachable. Now I see that he's just a regular guy who knows a lot. He's... human."

Dr. Haruna smiled. "It _is _pretty grounding to find out that our heroes are just like us," he said sagely.

"Yeah," said Tracey, staring resolutely at the application on top of the stack in his hands. "It is."

----

The Haruna household's terrace was fast becoming Noelle's preferred spot for quiet contemplation. It faced a slightly wooded area behind the mansion, a beautiful, tranquil area. From the trees, a few pidgey sang gaily, the only sound to be heard. Whenever a breeze blew past, it carried the mingled scent of flowers, both potted and wild. Noelle closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, savoring the aroma and the peacefulness before her mind drifted to that morning's conversation.

_"You are our goddess of water," Midori said. "All the domain of water and ice will be under your control in time, because your pokemon will grant you the gift."_

_"It's true," Erika chimed in. She had been mostly silent about anything involving Midori's badge, despite the fact that she had owned one herself for several years. "Watch." She held out her hand, and small petals from the tabletop flower vase floated to it, dancing around in a spiral pattern. A faint green light surrounded her hand. Noelle gasped._

_"There are four earthly elements, of course," Midori went on. "And there are four others, elements of higher powers: light and dark, body and mind. Life and death, order and chaos. There are pokemon types that correspond to these powers, just as there are water and grass pokemon. I will find a suitable representative for each of the elements. That is my mission."_

_Erika's demonstration stopped, and Noelle stared for a long time at the petals scattered on the coffee table. "So what's your element?" she asked Midori._

_He smiled enigmatically. "You should know. We will all know one another, and our minds will be linked. The badges make it possible."_

As she replayed their talk over and over in her mind, Noelle remembered Audrey's words of caution: _"Please don't take anything Midori says too seriously. He tends to over-dramatize." _Did she mean that the Jade Road badges didn't do exactly what Midori claimed? Yet Erika had manipulated those petals with a flick of her wrist. And whatever Midori had done to Jessie at the salon -- the dark violet glow from his hand, the way she screamed from some internal horror -- surely that was caused by his own badge. What terrible power did Midori command, to frighten Jessie so badly?

"What do you think, Snowflake?" Noelle asked her smoochum. The little pokemon had followed her to the terrace, naturally, continuing her exploration of Erika's exotic potted plants. Noelle had decided on the name last night, after Tracey looked up some information online about the species. Noelle learned that Snowflake was a combination psychic and ice type. Littlefrost, a water type, and would evolve into a dewgong, a water and ice type. The more Noelle thought about it, the more she realized she had always been drawn to ice-type pokemon from her casual research, due to her love of the element. She had been fascinated by snow and ice since she was a little girl; cold air transforming falling water into beautiful solid crystals seemed like a miraculous feat. The stillness that followed a heavy snowstorm felt divine, reverent. The blanket of white, the infinite silence -- Noelle always perceived winter as a season of holiness, where others saw it as a season of death before spring's rebirth.

Perhaps Midori could sense that? Perhaps there was some truth after all to his unbelievable quest? Could her family name mean more than a legacy of spending and society?

Noelle suddenly wished Tracey was there. He always had the answers, or, if not, an educated guess. He'd be able to figure Midori out.

"Hey, Noelle." Erika stepped outside, carrying a pair of large shears. "I came to trim my rose bushes. Want to see them? They're really beautiful."

"Sure!" Grateful for the distraction, Noelle picked up Snowflake and followed Erika. Located along the side of the porch, the white roses bloomed fully. "Wow..." Noelle gushed, leaning down to smell one. "You grew these yourself?"

"I sure did. Gardening is my hobby." Erika snipped an errant branch.

"I guess it would have to be, huh?" The blue-haired girl watched for a few moments before speaking again. "Erika? Couldn't you just..." She flicked her hand, imitating a mystical gesture.

Her hostess smiled. "And take the fun out of doing it the old-fashioned way?" Her face became serious as she continued pruning. "Listen, Noelle, don't rely on your Jade Road badge too much. There are things it can trigger that it shouldn't. Humans aren't meant to do what pokemon can do."

"Then why were they made?" Noelle asked with genuine curiosity. "And why would Midori be giving them away?"

"Midori thinks that the eight elements combined will put an end to some threat that doesn't exist yet." Erika snapped the large scissors closed, slicing off more uneven branches. "He's basing that on a legend that claims it will repeat itself. I don't know why he didn't say so earlier."

"Audrey warned me about Midori," Noelle admitted. "Is he dangerous? Should I not trust him?"

"No, he's not dangerous. Audrey was just trying to advise you not to get as wrapped up in those badges as Midori is. You have to go about your normal life, and don't start believing you're a magical girl."

"I don't _want_ to go about my normal life," Noelle said quietly, thinking about boarding school.

"Not looking forward to Pallet Town?" asked Erika.

"That's not what I meant! I can't wait to get there... I just have a feeling it'll be over before I'll realize it. The past week felt like only one day."

"Time does fly when you're happy," Erika mused. "Or busy. I guess it's easy for me to forget I'm involved in Midori's quest, with two jobs."

"Wow, really?"

"Yes, I'm the gym leader in this city, and the Indigo League's expert in grass-type pokemon. And since I love plant pokemon so much, I also run a perfume shop. I market my own fragrances extracted from the aromas of grass-types."

"That's really cool. I wish my perfume at home came from pokemon."

"I'll have to give you an advance sample of the new one I'm working on," Erika promised. "If I can make it, that is. It would be like nothing else in Kanto, a huge success."

"Why can't you make it?" asked Noelle.

Erika sighed. "I want to use the scent of a pokemon that's only found in the Hoenn region, roselia. But it's been harder to get one than I thought it would be. I'm afraid I might have to give up."

"Is that so?" asked a deep voice from above them. Noelle expected Midori, but she gasped in shock as James leapt from the roof. He landed in a crouched position, steadying himself with one hand. Then he stood up swiftly and shook back his shoulder-length hair.

"I wouldn't leave Celadon without seeing you again, Noelle," he said, taking a step towards her.

"Don't even think about making off with her smoochum," Erika cautioned, snapping her shears loudly. "I'm armed, you know."

"I wouldn't dream of it." In a sweeping motion, James plucked a rose from one of the bushes and held it up to Noelle. She took it and stared at him, speechless.

"Then how can we help you?" Erika asked pragmatically with another mid-air snap.

James turned to her. "I came here to pick up where Noelle and I left off yesterday at the pokemon salon," he answered. "And I happened to overhear your predicament. You need a rare pokemon, you say? My teammates and I have years of experience of dealing with difficult ones."

Erika's green eyes narrowed. "Is that some kind of proposition?"

"How much is it worth to you to make your perfume?"

She smirked. "I see where you're headed with this. Looking for a job, are you? Tell you what: invite your teammates here, and we'll talk business. I really do want that roselia essence."

They heard a delighted squeal. "A job _and_ a chance to capture a roselia?" From around the corner of the mansion, Jessie ran up to them. "James, I'm really impressed!"

Meowth came behind her. "Yeah, he usually don't think of dis stuff on his own," he added.

Noelle watched the cat pokemon walking upright on its hind legs. "He really _does_ talk," she whispered. Snowflake, in her tight grasp, made an inquisitive sound.

"It's time I _do_ start thinking a little harder, Meowth," James said. "It's time to repay the Boss for real, and get on with our lives before we waste them any longer!" He clenched his fist, staring off into the distance.

"James?" Jessie tilted her head in puzzlement. "What's gotten into you?"

"And I don't care about being promoted!" He raised his voice, facing her. "If you want to slave away for Team Rocket, then you're more than welcome to! I left home to get away away from my controlling parents, and now I'm under the control of an even more oppressive corporation! Well, no more! Even if it means doing the 'honest' thing, I swear I will break free!"

"I..." Jessie started to say, trailing off.

"I t'ink I can see his point," Meowth said. "I don't know about you, Jess, but I'm gettin' pretty tired of losin'... and blastin' off."

"Ah..." The magenta-haired woman considered his words. Then she glared at James suddenly. "I still have a score or two to settle, you know. I'm not quitting Team Rocket so easily, and you're the last person who can talk me into it!"

"I'm not trying to," said James. "I'm telling you what _I'm_ going to do. You're no better than my parents or that horrible Jessibelle. I won't be controlled by you, either."

"Me? _Controlling?_" Jessie fumed. "How _dare_ you say that about me? Where do you get the nerve?"

"From the part of me I lost after I joined Team Rocket to begin with. I rediscovered it just yesterday." James walked over to Noelle, placing his hands on her shoulders. She jumped in surprise. "This is Noelle. She was my first fiancée."

Everyone gaped at James and Noelle with identical expressions of shock. Erika dropped her shears. Snowflake, imitating everyone else, craned her head up to look at Noelle, blinking her huge eyes expectantly, as though she was waiting for something to happen.

Encouraged by her pokemon's gaze, Noelle turned to James. "I didn't mean to cause a scene like this," she said. "I wouldn't have called for you yesterday if I didn't think I'd see you again. The truth is, I didn't remember your name until you mentioned your growlithe to me."

"It's unfortunate that you were so young back then," said James. "Our parents really should have waited until we were the right age to arrange our marriage, not pair you off as soon as you could walk. Maybe things would have turned out differently." He said the last part with spite, glancing at his teammates.

"I don't believe it!" Jessie snapped. "You're making this up! How could some girl you haven't seen since childhood make you want to quit the team?"

"It's not just her," James replied. "But seeing her makes me realize what I _should_ do. I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"Sounds like da moltres is comin' back," Meowth noted.

Noelle had no idea what Meowth meant by that, but she stared at the white rose in her hand, blushing as she considered the significance of James's words. How could she have such an influence over someone she knew almost a dozen years ago, someone with whom she was just now getting re-acquainted?

"Well, fine," Jessie said after a moment's speculation, her voice a little calmer. "We'll take the job and go to Hoenn with you. You'd just get yourself into a lot of trouble if you went alone."

"Yeah, I probably would," James said with a smile.

"But if what you say is true, we won't always be around to save your neck. You mark my words, you won't survive out in the world! Team Rocket offers a lot of protection!"

"We'll see."

The two locked eyes for what seemed like several minutes. "Um," Erika spoke up, breaking the silence. "If you three want to come inside with me, we can draw up some plans. I think the sooner you leave for Hoenn, the better."

"Good idea," Jessie said, marching towards the terrace with her nose turned up haughtily as she avoided looking at James. Meowth shrugged and tagged along behind her and Erika, leaving James and Noelle by themselves.

"I'm so sorry," Noelle apologized instantly.

"Don't be." James squeezed her shoulders, where his hands had never left. "We'll talk later, after this little meeting."

"Okay." Noelle blushed again and nodded. "I'll wait in the den. Erika can take you there."

He smiled warmly and went inside. Noelle stared after him, squeezing Snowflake to her. Her head spun with these added complications, and she speculated on how her dull debutante lifestyle seemed very far away. She suddenly wanted Tracey to return from the university. He had to be on his way by now.

Inside, Noelle got Snowflake's pokeball out of her backpack and retracted her inside for the time being. She felt guilty for keeping Littlefrost inside his luxury ball for so long, but the Haruna mansion, for all its opulence, lacked a pool. She couldn't wait to get to Professor Oak's lab with its nearby pond especially for water pokemon.

She went to the den to wait for James, and found Midori and Hiroyuki there, looking over some newspapers. "What's going on?" Hiroyuki asked her.

She briefly told them everything. "Old fiancé, huh?" Midori asked with a grin. "A happenstance meeting between two former lovers in the summer... anything could happen now."

"It's not like that," Noelle said, squirming in her seat. "It's kind of weird... I haven't seen him since I was three or four. He seems so gallant now, but I don't know if he's my type."

"Oho, you have a type?" Midori pressed. "Maybe someone older and worldly, who loves pokemon and embraces all possibilities?" He smoothed back his long red hair.

Noelle giggled. "My type definitely has to love pokemon. Older and worldly isn't so bad, either."

"I knew it!" Midori tossed aside his section of newspaper dramatically and fell to his knees before Noelle. "Say you'll travel with me, and lend your insight to helping me find the other members of the Jade Road." He took her hand in his. "We'll have all kinds of adventures. Truly _magical_ ones."

Noelle glanced at Hiroyuki, who shook his head, laughing quietly. Turning back to Midori, she saw that his eyes were full of mirth. He was teasing, at least for the most part. "Sorry, Midori," she said, playing along. "I'm afraid I already made that promise to Tracey."

"Ah, so your heart belongs to another." Midori sighed and stood back up. "I do envy him, to have such a lovely companion on his journey."

Noelle blushed and looked at the grandfather clock against the wall. "I thought he'd be back by now. He must be taking a tour of the university or something."

Some time later, Erika, followed by James, came into the den. "It's all settled," Erika informed her friends, then moved to stand behind Hiroyuki and his newspaper. "And what have you two been up to all this time?"

"Job hunting," said Hiroyuki, turning a page.

"If you're looking for a job, you should have asked me first, Hiro dear." Erika patted his shoulder. "If I can find something for three shady crooks, you know I can for you."

"Hey..." James protested.

"I didn't want to trouble you about it," Hiroyuki mumbled, embarrassed.

Noelle smiled, watching the two of them before noticing James hanging back. She got up to join him, and they stepped into the foyer. "Are you really going to do it?" she asked.

"Yes, and we'll be leaving soon," James said. "So I'm sorry you and I don't have much of a chance to catch up."

"Yeah," Noelle agreed, toying with the ends of her hair. "Do you have email? It looks like I'll be keeping in touch with friends that way."

"I'll have to get one. We Team Rocket field agents don't have the need for email."

"Did you mean what you said before? I made you realize what you should be doing?"

"In a way, yes. I think I always knew, but I just never acted on it. There are a lot of benefits from Team Rocket, like Jessie said. But after so many years, I don't think it's worth it. When I saw you again, memories of my boyhood dreams and ideals came back to me, like a flood. I thought I knew what I wanted to be with Team Rocket... but now I know better. And I have you to thank."

Noelle's cheeks grew pink. "You're welcome," she said softly, though she still didn't believe she deserved so much credit.

"I only wish we could spend more time getting reacquainted. Maybe after all this is over, and I finally leave on my own..." He left the suggestion open to interpretation.

"Oh..." Noelle considered the implication of his words. "Well, I... I don't know about that..." Her heart began racing nervously.

James nodded. "We'll talk more in email, right?"

"Of course." She smiled wide, partly out of relief for moving away from this awkward topic.

"I'd better go. I'll talk to Erika about getting in touch with you." James held out his arms for a hug. Noelle stood on tiptoe to reach her arms to his neck, and he held her closely for a long moment. _It doesn't seem fair, _she thought. _If things had turned out differently, he and I would have been married by now... he never would have joined Team Rocket, and I wouldn't have to go to boarding school to find a fiancé..._

Suddenly, the front door opened. Noelle stepped back from James to identify the newcomer, and she gasped sharply. With his hand frozen on the doorknob, Tracey stood in the doorway, staring dumbly at the two.

"I--" Noelle started to say.

"I have to tell you something," Tracey said abruptly to her. "Can you come outside with me? When you're done." He avoided looking at James at all cost.

Noelle nodded several times before answering. "Okay," she whispered.

He closed the door as he left. "Ah, I see," James said.

"What?" Noelle whipped around to face him.

"I hope he takes good care of you," he said, smiling wide.

Noelle turned again to the closed door, remembering what Midori had said earlier about her heart belonging to another. _But if I had married James, I wouldn't be **here**, _she thought._ I wouldn't have my pokemon, a Jade Road badge, or my new friends... and I wouldn't have Tracey. _

----

Tracey waited on the topmost step of the front porch. He had pictured talking to Noelle on the terrace, but he didn't want her favorite spot to be tainted by the awkward conversation. He only hoped that no one would drive up and interrupt them.

The door behind him opened slowly. He didn't turn around, but he knew it was Noelle. Wordlessly, she sat down beside him, folding her hands in her lap. "Um..." she said softly. "I'm sorry."

"For what? You can do whatever you want."

Noelle's next words caught in her throat, and Tracey looked at her and made himself smile, an expression that fell slightly as he noticed her guilty expression. But he had to say what he had planned first. "I have good news," he told her. "Well, it's still shocking news to me, but it's definitely good."

"Oh?" she asked, squeezing her hands.

"I saw Erika's father at U.C. It turns out he's the head of the pokemon biology department... and he thinks I should enroll this fall."

"Really? That's great! Are you going to?"

"Thinking about it. I'm going to talk to Professor Oak." Tracey ran his hand through his dark green hair. His long bangs fell back into place. "Do you think you'd stay here in Celadon?" he asked pointedly.

"What?" Noelle asked. "Why do you think I'd do that?"

"Erika and Midori are here, and you'll probably want to learn more about your induction to the secret organization... they can teach you how to use your badge to talk to Littlefrost, right?"

"I don't think there's much they can teach me," Noelle admitted. "Apparently it won't start working for awhile, and I'm supposed to figure it out on my own."

Tracey made a skeptical face. "Well, badge or not, you still have friends here. Celadon's a lot more interesting than Pallet Town, too."

"You think I don't want to come with you? I _lied _to my parents just so I could! I wouldn't back out for anything!"

He flinched at her offended tone. "I just thought you might want to... anyway, the point is that I'd be back in a few months, so we could see each other then."

"There's no way I want to stay here," Noelle said firmly. "You know I'm looking forward to spending the summer taking care of pokemon with you... right?"

Tracey leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees and interlocking his fingers. "There's something else I need to tell you before you make up your mind," he said. "You might change your mind after all."

"What is it?"

"Remember when we called Professor Oak yesterday, and his grandson Gary answered the phone?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when I first met him two years ago, I liked him. I mean, _liked _him. So much that I told him. He didn't take it too well... actually, he was repulsed beyond belief. I don't know if he said anything to Professor Oak about it, but he left for Johto about a week afterwards, so I didn't have to worry about him." Tracey sighed deeply. "I'm don't like him now, though. But the reason I'm telling you about this is because I'm bisexual." He paused, waiting for Noelle to say something. She was quiet, and he felt her acute stare. "I may not be involved with any guys right now, but it's still a big part of my identity," he went on. "And I wanted to tell you before Gary had a chance to blurt out something about it. If it's going to bother you, then you should stay here. I don't want to make you uncomfortable for an entire summer. You might decide to run away to Johto far away from me."

"Oh, Tracey..." Noelle whispered.

"Audrey and I talked about it a little," he continued. "She said someone of your background might not understand it as well... or be very accepting. I don't know."

"I know more about that kind of thing than Audrey realizes." She smirked. "High-society people are involved in more scandals than normal people, I think. They're just better at hiding it from the world."

"Heh." Tracey fidgeted with his hands. To his surprise, Noelle slid her arm around his, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Nothing you say would make me run away from you," she said, squeezing his arm. "I'm glad you can be so open with me."

"Really?" he asked quietly, staring down at her. "So you're okay with it?"

"Yes, I am." She moved even closer to him. "I have something to tell you, too."

"You do?" For a second, Tracey's heart skipped a beat as he imagined what she might have to say in this perfect moment.

"About James... he was my childhood fiancé."

"Oh," Tracey said flatly.

Noelle gripped his arm more tightly. "I remembered him yesterday, when I saw him. He apparently followed me here to Erika's house, and confronted me this morning. Then Erika hired him and his friends to help get them out of some trouble with their boss... but the point is, please don't worry about him."

"I'm not... why would I be concerned about him?"

"I don't mean about his well-being or anything. I mean, you shouldn't worry that I'm going to get re-engaged to him, or something like that. He was just one of the few things about my childhood that was good. To me, he was more like a friend who came over to play while our parents talked business. I didn't even understand the concept of marriage at that age. So I was saying goodbye to him just now, when you came in, because he's my friend."

"What, that? I was just surprised you two were there, that's all," Tracey said feebly.

"Is that it?" Noelle asked lightly. "Okay, if you insist. But just so you know, I don't like him _that _way."

For a minute, Tracey had to think of why she felt it necessary to stress that she didn't have feelings for James. He didn't dare get his hopes up, but there she was, holding his arm and telling him not to worry. Following an impulse, he nestled his cheek in her soft hair, breathing in its scent.

"Midori likes me, though," Noelle said. "He asked me to travel with him, right in front of Hiroyuki. He's not the least bit shy."

Tracey lifted his head slowly. She looked up at him, her pale eyes sparkling mischievously. Seeing the look on Tracey's face, she giggled.

"Hey..." he drawled. On a random whim, he lightly grabbed the side of her slender waist. She shrieked and squirmed, laughing helplessly. "I thought you might be ticklish," said Tracey. "I have a watcher's intuition."

"No fair!" Noelle felt around his stomach in retaliation, but Tracey sat still, smirking. "You have to be ticklish _somewhere_," she argued. "I'm going to find it."

"Promise?" He ran his fingers along her other side, laughing with her as she grabbed his hands.

----

Author's Notes: Long chapter, long notes!

Well, we've wrapped up the Celadon arc. There was a lot to conclude here. In between writing, I watched some of my Orange Islands DVDs. Working on these last few chapters has made me re-bond with Tracey. I'm so happy to write for him.

Because my helpful beta reader was uncertain about the famous scientist's name, I've included a link to the episode here: (http/ It's a significant Tracey episode in that we see him swap theories with Dr. Q and receive some helpful advice. He's already rubbing elbows with some pretty big names in the scientific community. It seems natural to me that he would start college at any early age, with the hands-on experience he's had studying pokemon.

That leads me to my next point: as you've seen in this chapter, and a little in chapter 1, high school in the EW-verse doesn't work the same as it does here in the States. Taken from its Japanese roots, I decided that kids in this world have to take entrance exams for high school just like they would for college. However, given the fact that the lives of mostly everyone revolve around pokemon, there are a lot of career options that don't require the formal education of high school. Pokemon students apprentice under masters of their chosen field (like breeding or ranger-ing) in order to gain the real-world knowledge they need in their everyday lives. People with jobs like these really don't need general education "requirements" to survive in their pokemon-specific careers.

This is wishful thinking on my part, of course. I hate how you attend college for training in a field of your choice, and they force you to take unrelated classes in an attempt to make you "well-rounded" (read: to take all of your parents' money). Remember when attending college was about higher education? I sure don't, that was a century ago. The whole system makes me sick (she said as she just bought her books for fall quarter -- used, of course!).

But I digress. So, it's not too abnormal for Tracey to have never attended high school. He's one of those kids who would have been bored by the material; he learns better on his own, in real-world situations. Going out among the islands to observe pokemon was the best thing for him. It certainly made him healthier, getting all that sun and... trail mix? I imagine he ate a lot of nuts and berries for meals. Plus, it paved the way for him to meet Professor Oak, his ultimate stepping stone into the prestigious University of Celadon. Colleges in the EW-verse, by the way, are much more geared towards the higher education and practical training that they should be in our world. It _is_ a fantasy story, after all.

On the other hand, we have Dominik, who argued with Lance in chapter 1 about the value of attending high school. Dominik, while in almost the same situation as Tracey, feels he should complete every level of education possible because he doesn't have a career goal in mind yet. The Indigo League challenge left him dissatisfied with training, so he's open to any ideas, whether or not they involve pokemon. It must be nice to live in a world where high school is optional if you're already naturally brilliant.

**Concerning James:** This is a big issue for me, because we break away from the canon Team Rocket to see more three-dimensional sides to our favorite lovely charmy villains. Don't get me wrong, I love their characters -- it's just that after SO MANY SEASONS of seeing the SAME ROUTINE over and over... I really want them to have a better life. That's what fanfic is for, right?

There's a reason why EW picks up where "The Fortune Hunters" (http/ left off. For one, it's the end of the "Johto Journeys" season (which, to me, is the last season that was any good. Johto is full of _way_ too much filler, but I like a lot of episodes from the first batch. Also, while I enjoy the addition of May to the Hoenn seasons, there's the filler problem again. May is really the only good thing about the Pokemon anime any more (with a few one-shot exceptions... I'm rambling again)). Secondly, "The Fortune Hunters" is also the most significant James-centric episode there is.

My theory about Mr. Morgan is that, deep down, he truly has a lot of confidence in his abilities, and is able to act on them when provoked enough. I think he's just in a comfortable place, drifting along with Jessie and Meowth without any pressing responsibilites (except for that huge debt, but they never seem too worried). Maybe he also _lets_ Jessie walk all over him, because he knows it makes her happy? However, he's not afraid to show some initiative, like when he believes his zodiac sign is the godlike Moltres.

He's also completely against living the lifestyle his parents and fiancée want, as we see in "Holy Matrimony" (http/ Here, too, does James cast aside his foolish behavior to take a stand and fight for his beliefs.

With these things in mind about his character, I don't find it too unrealistic to have him act the way he does in this chapter. Just as some of his fans are tired of watching him blast off time and time again, he is too. And he wants to do something about it -- it just took the right kick in the rear to get him to do it.

All right, that's enough out of me! See you in chapter 10, which begins the conclusion of Part One. I can't wait!


	10. Magnetism Part One

**Chapter 10 - Magnetism (Part One)**

As he exited the Goldenrod Gym, Dominik breathed a sigh of relief. His match with the gym leader, Whitney, was easy enough, but listening to her talk nonstop proved exhausting. She had insisted on recording the battle, and she seemed more focused on her shameless poses and speeches than on any strategy. This embarrassed Dominik throughout the entire match.

_The sooner we leave this overcrowded city, the better, _he thought, sticking the Plain Badge in his jeans pocket. He glanced around at his feet, then turned back to the gym. "Neriah," he called.

His espeon's ears twitched, and she abandoned the pink flowers by the gym entrance, which she had been sniffing. She looked up at him sheepishly.

He smiled and leaned down to scratch her ears. Having just evolved a few days ago in the Ilex Forest, Neriah's telepathic wavelengths weren't very sharply in tune with her trainer's. As he petted her, Dominik picked up her feelings of post-battle tiredness mixed with excitement. Only with Leilani could he communicate without physical contact. Neriah would soon learn to do the same on a regular basis; her psychic powers were still developing.

Dominik sent her back to her ball and headed for the pokemon center. He remembered shaking Whitney's hand, being barraged by her vain thoughts. Of course, she hadn't detected his mental presence. It would take another psychic to recognize the intrusion, but Dominik did his best to avoid skin-to-skin contact, the key to his ability to read minds. The exception to this condition was Leilani, whose mind was so advanced that she could not only sense her trainer's thoughts without contact, but she could hold telepathic conversations with him as well. Dominik figured this was not only because she was a psychic pokemon who could project her will as effortlessly as breathing, but because they were so close. He hoped it would be the same for Neriah, after they got to know one another.

He often mused that, because of this phenomenon, he bonded more easily with pokemon than with people. Even so, his other five pokemon, now in the care of Suzie the breeder, had not been able to communicate with him as Leilani could. "Psychic pokemon are best trained by psychic people" -- that's what he always heard. By that logic, psychic people connected best with other psychics -- people with similarly advanced mental prowess. Aside from Sabrina, the proud but standoffish gym leader, Dominik had never met a true psychic in his Kanto travels. Many trainers claimed to be because they possessed psychic-type pokemon, but they lacked the gift.

A theory suggested that all people were born with some psychic potential, but it became suppressed one way or another, and people went through their entire lives without knowing. Whenever Dominik considered this, it saddened him; any random person could be his friend and equal. For a time during his journey, Dominik "tested" other people. Usually via a handshake, he would scan their thoughts, but, regrettably, not once did anyone recognize his presence.

Sabrina had refused his hand. Her extrasensory perception was so strong that she knew who he was the moment he entered her gym, and she obviously didn't want him peering at her innermost thoughts.

Though his talent wouldn't allow him to see the future, Dominik saw in Sabrina a mirror of his fate: great power at a great price, self-inflicted isolation. She didn't say otherwise, but it was painfully obvious that Sabrina chose a solitary lifestyle because she believed no one could match her intellect nor understand her personality. And, from what Dominik knew so far of school and pokemon training, she was right to think so. Blessed and cursed both was the life of a psychic.

And, upon consideration, it didn't bother him. Leilani understood him perfectly, and he knew Neriah would as well. Though the exeggutor was younger in years, Dominik felt that she was like his older sister, for all the wisdom and patience she possessed. Neriah was his wide-eyed younger sister, who looked to him for guidance. He didn't have just pokemon friends, but a family.

As he reminisced about meeting Sabrina, Dominik was reminded of Lance. The former champion had also not offered his hand to shake, and he seemed to keep himself physically distanced from Dominik as they spoke. He also had the same bearing as Sabrina, confident and fiercely proud. Perhaps Lance was a little psychic himself? He was well-known for training only dragon pokemon, harder to find and more challenging to raise than psychic-types. No one with an ordinary mind could specialize in such powerful pokemon.

At the pokemon center, Dominik followed the nurse's assistant to a checkup room to watch as she examined his pokemon. As dull as the Johto League seemed for battling, its centers proved much better than Kanto's. In his home region, trainers weren't permitted to go with their pokemon to any of the back rooms. Dominik didn't trust these centers, and refused their services after his first visit. Finding natural remedies and letting his pokemon sleep to regain their stamina was still his preferred method, but he did like getting them checked by licensed professionals. In Johto, pokemon doctors seemed to care more.

"She's looking very well," the assistant, a young woman with short and curly brown hair, said of Neriah. "You're taking excellent care of her. She's still young, so you're smart not to let her battle as much."

Dominik stroked his espeon's fur proudly. _I can have a treat for being a good patient, right? _she asked, purring. _And for beating the clefable at the gym?_

_Of course you can._

"Did you say you have another pokemon for me to look at?" asked the assistant.

Dominik retracted Neriah to her ball and unfastened Leilani's from his belt. "She should be able to fit," he said, surveying the room.

"Ah..." the young woman started to say dubiously. But Dominik had already pressed the release button, and Leilani materialized to her full six feet. While her height wasn't a problem, her bulk proved to be awkward. She turned slightly so that all her heads could take in the room, and her fronds knocked a few things off the high shelves. Dominik picked them up, repeating her apologies to the gasping assistant.

"That's all right," she said with a nervous smile. "I've just never seen an exeggutor this close." She jumped as each of Leilani's three heads blinked in succession.

"She's very gentle," Dominik assured her.

The assistant held a stethoscope to several spots on Leilani's trunk. "Oh, right," she said to herself, removing the instrument as she realized she wouldn't find a heartbeat. "Sorry, it's just that I've always thought plant-type pokemon are a little strange... they're plants, but they're also animals. It's so bizarre." She laughed airily, to Dominik's annoyance.

_Don't anger yourself over her, _Leilani told him. _After all, I _**_am _**_a monster._

_Don't say it like that, _he chided her. _You're beautiful._

After her checkup, the assistant declared that Leilani was just as healthy as Neriah. "Did they really just fight Whitney's team? Neither of them seem very battle-worn."

"It was an easy match," Dominik said in a nonchalant tone, despite the purple-haired woman's surprised look.

As his pokemon slept in their balls, Dominik headed for the bus station after leaving the center. Unfortunately, the next bus for Ecruteak City wouldn't be departing for another two hours. He killed a little time at a department store buying some snacks -- dried fruit and granola bars for him, and pokemon treats, wiki berry flavored for Leilani and nanab berry for Neriah. As he strolled through the aisles, he marveled at all the useless things touted as must-haves for trainers, and wondered who could carry so many plastic gadgets on a lengthy wilderness journey.

Not that Dominik was one for camping outside. He preferred an indoor shelter for sleeping, especially since pokecenters were free to registered and licensed trainers. That was the reason he used public transportation to get from town to town. Roughing it for days on end just didn't appeal to him.

With nothing else to do, Dominik returned to the bus station. He plopped his well-worn tan messenger bag in a plastic chair and sat next to it, taking out a book. It was a volume of his favorite trilogy, and epic fantasy by J.R.R. Torkoal, written almost fifty years ago. He'd read it twice already since he was nine, but it made him happy to revisit the familiar scenes, especially the band of unlikely travelers wandering through a beautiful, mystical forest. This kind of wistful journeying was what had inspired him to leave Saffron with Leilani last year, seeing the Kanto countryside. _What a hypocrite I am, _Dominik mused. _I claim to love nature, but I have to sleep inside, in a safe, warm bed._

So engrossed was Dominik in his novel that he didn't notice the figure standing in front of him right away. When it did occur to him to look up, he saw Lance. The former Indigo champion had his arms folded across his chest patiently, and he grinned at the boy.

"Leaving Goldenrod already?" he asked. "You're moving through the gyms awfully fast. Didn't you start a month ago?"

Dominik sighed and stuck his bookmark between the pages he had been reading. "I thought you said Johto would be a new challenge. So far I've battled an over-dramatic pretty boy, a bug collector who can't be older than I am, and a self-absorbed airhead. Are there serious gyms I don't know about?"

Lance laughed. "It's true. Johto isn't like Kanto. The league challenge here isn't quite as competitive. People in Johto generally have different mindsets."

"_You _told me to follow my destiny here," Dominik accused. The annoyances from earlier built up inside him. "I should take up new challenges in Johto, you said. More traditional and natural, you said. But I'm more bored here than I was in Kanto!"

Lance smiled knowingly. "You really are more advanced than trainers your age... I'm glad."

Dominik scowled, recalling the words he'd heard more than once in this past. _"He's so ahead of his class, he's bored. He's disrupting the other students with his cries for attention."_

"Listen, Dominik," said Lance. "I know as well as you do how tedious earning these badges can be. But they do have merit, and having a complete collection does prove your dedication."

"Who do I have to prove it to?" he mumbled sulkily.

"I wasn't going to tell you until after you finished the challenge," Lance said with a sigh. "But maybe I should. I run an elite group of pokemon specialists, and, despite your young age, I'm offering you a position."

Dominik blinked. "What does this elite group do?"

"It's an organization of trainers who are exceptionally skilled... and who see pokemon as equals, not as tools. And we try to pass this message to the world."

Dominik stared into Lance's golden eyes, considering this unexpected offer. His style, praised and celebrated? How many times had teachers tried to suppress his intellect, so he would fit in with the regular students? Finally, someone understood that being gifted was just that -- a gift, not a disgrace.

The psychic nodded with approval. "But why do I need the other five Johto League badges? I'm pretty sure I won't enter the championship. Once was enough."

"Well, I suppose you don't, but you've already started, so why stop now?" Lance thoughtfully stared off into the distance. "Perhaps you and I could set a personal wager? Would that make your journey more interesting?"

"It might."

"Visit all the gyms by the end of the year, and I guarantee you a place in my elite group. I will tell you that the remainder of the gym leaders are a bit more commanding than the three you've met. In Ecruteak especially -- he's an accomplished spirit medium."

That caught Dominik's interest. "Is that so?"

"Sound like a deal, then?" Lance offered his hand.

Dominik stared at it. Maybe he didn't know after all? The dragon master just smiled, waiting. "It's a deal," Dominik said, shaking his hand. Within Lance's mind, there was nothing. It was as if Dominik faced a blank wall, a forceful barricade. He tried to hide his shock.

"It's June twentieth now," Lance said, taking back his hand. "Meet me in Olivine a month from now? I'll be interested to learn of your progress."

"Sure," Dominik agreed.

Lance nodded and strode off, his long cape flapping behind him. Dominik stared at the hand Lance had shaken. Only a true psychic could block his mind from an intruder so quickly. Why hadn't Lance told him? Did he want Dominik to find out for himself? Maybe the entire elite group consisted of psychics? That idea made Dominik hopeful.

As he picked up his book to continue reading, he found himself daydreaming about training consistently, to meet his upcoming deadlines. The next gym leaders would be stronger, and Neriah would have to learn some new battle moves soon. Dominik realized he was feeling giddy about the prospect of rigorous training; he truly loved it after all. So the Johto League hadn't been a total waste.

On the bus ride, he looked espeon's known attacks in his pokedex, and also studied the map between Ecruteak, the wooded shrine town, and Olivine, the bustling harbor city. _Another metropolis, _Dominik thought wearily. At least Ecruteak sounded appealing.

It was dinnertime when he arrived at his destination, so he headed for the pokemon center right away to check into a room and see about a free meal for him and his pokemon. Located at the edge of the town's small commercial district, the center had a town map which showed Dominik that the gym was near two huge shrines. He brought his dinner outside so he could feed Leilani and Neriah at the same time. When they finished, he sent them back to their balls so he could hurry to the shrines. After such a distressing visit to Goldenrod, he looked forward to visiting something ancient and sacred, especially located in the countryside.

He was not disappointed. Both shrines were tall, monuments to legendary pokemon of old times. One of them showed signs of having survived a great fire, but still it stood, holding onto its legacy. The structures were several yards apart, and they seemed to be the gates to the huge forest beyond. Dominik stared up at the high-reaching trees, and into the cool darkness of the thickly wooded landscape.

_It must be beautiful, _Leilani commented, picking up on his perception.

_It was a mistake to leave Ilex so soon, _Dominik told her. _I really liked it, and so did Neriah. I think playing in the forest made her so happy that it encouraged her to evolve._

_You'd better take her to play in there. She could use some exercise, after all she ate at dinner._

Dominik smiled as he thought of his espeon's increasing appetite. He also knew that Leilani yearned for the forest, her natural habitat. He looked around for any signs forbidding trespassing, and, seeing none, he entered the dark woods.

The first thing he noticed was the sense of tranquility that washed over him. Perhaps it was the proximity of the shrines, but this forest felt different than Ilex. He released Leilani and Neriah. The espeon started frolicking right away, encouraged by the fresh air, while Leilani stood perfectly still, all three sets of her eyes closed. _This is a holy place, _she informed Dominik. _There are godlike pokemon who call this forest their home._

_I feel honored to be here, _Dominik sent back as she began walking. He strode beside her, keeping his eye on Neriah. _We'll have to come back tomorrow, when we have more time, _he added, checking his watch. _I want to train Neriah here,__but it'll be dark in a few hours. She needs the sun._

_She'll like that, _Leilani agreed.

Bug pokemon chorused from the countless varieties of trees, enhanced by a few calls from birds. Wild stantler and sentret peered out from behind trees, often scurrying away as Dominik passed them. Leilani was quiet as she stared up at the tall trees. The young psychic smiled at her, and laughed to himself as Neriah chased a common moth. This forest was not unlike the one he imagined from the J.R.R. Torkoal novels. He'd wanted to visit a place like this since he left home. While he'd been through several forests so far on his journeys, none were as vast and old as this one, and none were as sacred. Leilani knew from the trees' voices.

Soon they came across a clearing by a wide stream, which rushed with a gentle, relaxing sound. Leilani faltered, as if afraid to step any further into the area. _There,_ she told Dominik. _It's another shrine._

Next to the stream's edge was a small stone structure, much smaller than the ones at the edge of the forest. Dominik approached it, noticing that it only came up to his chest. Worn from centuries of rain and covered with soft moss, it was blocky with a pointed top. An indented area near the top indicated a place for offerings, perhaps.

Dominik stared at the miniature shrine for several minutes, wondering what pokemon it honored. He thought he saw words carved below the offering space, but moss covered most of them. With an apprehensive glance at Leilani, he reached out his hand to brush the growth away.

A loud crash, the sound of a branch snapping and falling, startled all of them, just as Dominik's hand was inches away from the shrine. A pokemon cried out, and there was a crackle and flash of lightning originating from the ground, not the sky. _A fight? _Dominik sent to Leilani.

The exeggutor spoke aloud to Neriah in pokemon language, but Dominik understood her question from her thoughts. _Can you hear anything specific?_

Neriah's sensitive ears twitched, and she yipped in response. _Two humans are having an intense pokemon battle, _Leilani translated.

Dominik narrowed his eyes. Two trainers, no doubt, tearing apart the sacred forest for their own selfish purposes. Knowing he should let them be, but compelled to see the offenders for himself, he marched towards the source of the chaos.

Another clearing, much smaller than the one by the stream, provided a battleground for a man in a violet suit and a tall girl with a long black braid. The man's alakazam swung one of its oversized spoons at the girl, attempting to knock her feet out from under her. She dodged swiftly. "Tenrai, thunderbolt!" she ordered as she landed in a crouching position, steadying herself with one hand. A jolteon raced forward, its spiky yellow fur crackling with electricity.

"Alakazam, use teleport!" the man commanded instantly. His pokemon vanished as a huge bolt of lightning struck the ground where it once stood. "You don't learn, do you? You can't hit my alakazam! Now give up already!"

His pokemon reappeared behind the girl and thrashed her with one of its spoons, the psychically-projected weapon known to the abra line. She fell to the ground with a cry, and her jolteon jumped at the alakazam, slashing it with sharp claws. Alakazam flickered away, teleporting beside its trainer, who approached the fallen girl with a satisfied smirk.

Dominik observed silently, crouching behind the brush. The jolteon raced at the man, but the alakazam acted before receiving a command, aiming a faint beam at its prey. The jolteon skidded to a stop, shaking its head, obviously left confused by the aftereffects of the psybeam attack.

"Stupid girl that you are," the man said, towering over her as she struggled to rise. "If you just gave it to me, these little meetings would stop." He planted a foot on her back, thrusting her to the ground. "Don't make me search your body for it. I really don't want to have to _touch_ you." His voice teemed with disgust.

_Dominik! _Leilani sent urgently.

_I know._ Even though he usually overlooked other people's business, this was too much to bear.

"Well?" the man demanded. "What's it going to--" He stopped talking abruptly, wincing. "What is this?" He backed away and whipped around, his short white cape flapping behind him. "Alakazam?"

Alakazam, while not susceptible to very much damage from pokemon of its own kind, could not stand up for long to Leilani's powerful psychic attack. The man fell to his knees, clutching his head. "Who's there?" he shouted.

Dominik stepped out into the small clearing. "I think you'd better leave," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "That's enough for now, Leilani."

The violet-clad man gasped, recovering from the terrible pressure Leilani had inflicted upon his mind. "Who the hell are _you_?" he growled.

"That's none of your business." Dominik noticed Neriah sniffing noses with the jolteon, bringing it out of its confusion slowly. He stepped closer to the girl, who picked herself up slowly and brushed off her shirt. "Are you all right?" he asked, as an afterthought.

She looked up at him sharply, irritated. "I had everything taken care of!" she hissed.

Dominik flinched. _See why I don't get involved? _he told Leilani bitterly. _How do we know he's the bad guy? Maybe she stole the thing he wants from him!_

_I don't think so. I saw his mind when I attacked. He wants to take her possession. He is jealous._

"So, have a little reinforcement, do you?" the man said. "Don't think that's going to make me give up."

The girl reached into one of the pockets on her heavy olive pants for a moment, then pulled her hand back out, fist closed tightly. "I know what you're doing!" her foe snarled. "It won't work! Alakazam, use psybeam on her!"

A bolt of lightning, larger than the one the jolteon had summoned, struck Alakazam with deadly precision before it could attack. It toppled over with stiff limbs, paralyzed. The girl opened her eyes, fixing them on the horrified man. "You say that every time," she told him in an icy voice.

He glowered at her. From the trees above, a small yellow creature jumped onto his head with a pleased cry, then landed on its feet -- a pikachu.

Dominik's mouth hung open. He realized that the girl must have planned her pikachu's attack well in advance, and that was the reason she allowed her adversary to trample her when he believed he had the upper hand. These two had obviously held these kinds of battles before, to know one another's weaknesses.

The man rubbed his head, tousling his short brown hair. "I was wondering when she'd come in." He stared at the pikachu before him, at Leilani to his left, and at Neriah and the jolteon to his right. "Four against none, it seems. Perhaps I do know when I'm beaten after all. I'd best take Alakazam to the pokemon center. Convenient, those centers. They'll help anyone who comes in... well, almost anyone." He smirked.

_Alakazam is using recover, _Leilani informed Dominik. _This talk is a distraction. He will attack again, without an order, as his trainer planned._

"Mark my words, your days of playing forest guardian are coming to an end," he continued, shaking a finger at her. "I will send you back to where you came from, and I will see the shrines purified again!"

_Now!_

"Move!" Dominik blurted out the first thing that came to mind. The black-haired girl gave him a puzzled look. Alakazam flickered into view above her, spoon raised in position above her head. Dominik leapt at her, pushing her out of the way, a split-second impulse. Not until they fell to the ground, as his hands gripped her bare arms, did he realize what he had done.

Confusion. Panic. Uneasiness. These were her surface emotions that arose from the battle, and from Dominik's sudden closeness. Invasion. Revulsion. Desperation. Action. And then, a blankness, very much like the wall behind which Lance hid his thoughts and feelings. Finally, her voice, straightforward and clear. _What are you doing?_

_You know? _Dominik was completely stunned.

_Stop it! _She shoved him away. He collasped on the ground, staring at her beside him. His heart raced with the shock of the discovery, and he gulped, his throat dry from rapid breathing. Her breath, too, came in short gasps, and her golden eyes, wide with fear, fixed on his.

"You're psychic," he whispered.

"No, I'm not," she whispered back.

_Dominik, _Leilani sent to him. _I have taken the liberty of using sleep powder on Alakazam and his trainer. They won't bother us for some time._

_Thank you. I appreciate it. _Dominik looked over at his exeggutor for a moment. The girl scrambled to her feet, stumbling as she fled. "Wait!" Dominik called out.

Her pikachu scurried after her. Dominik glanced at the jolteon behind him, who stood with Neriah, appearing to converse with her. Then the electric-type evolution of eevee chased after its comrades into the darkness of the woods.

Dominik sat upright, resting his hands on his knees as he replayed what had just happened. Something small and polished next to his foot caught his eye, and he picked it up. It was about the size of a silver dollar, but with a curved, black engraving on one side. Set in the middle of this shape, the center of the round disc, was a small, pale green stone.

Was this what she had taken from her pocket? Dropped when Dominik jumped on her? With a start, he remembered the Plain Badge in his own jeans. While it would only remind him of a simple battle with a simple gym leader, he didn't want to lose it, not if it was to be part of a prized collection for a future elite trainer. He fished around in his pocket and retrieved the trinket, breathing a small sigh of relief.

He stared at it in his right palm. Then he held the newfound disc next to it in his left palm and realized it was the same size, the same shade of silver. A badge? It didn't look like any badge he'd seen before -- he'd researched all the prizes from all the gyms in Kanto and Johto before he set out to earn them.

_We should go,_ Leilani cautioned. _It's growing dark._

Dominik stood up slowly, pocketing both silver tokens. _We will come back tomorrow, _he vowed, as he had done when they first entered the forest. _I have to give the badge back to her._

He glared at the still form of the man in violet as he walked past. He would let him and his alakazam sleep there, trusting that the girl and her pokemon would find a safe haven.

----

Author's notes: At long last, it's time for Magnetism. This story arc has been significant to me for three years. I wish I could say more, but I'll let the remaining chapters do the talking.

Here in EW-land, the Johto region is more conservative than Kanto, in regards to the upkeep of ancient pokemon shrines and shinto temples. In Kanto, urban growth is the way of life, but Johto people are more content with country peacefulness (except in the large cities of Violet and Goldenrod, but they manage to blend traditional ways with modern civilization). I know that originally Kanto and Johto were based on the Kanto and Kansai regions of Japan, but it's a loose comparison, I think... I heard that only one or two people in GSC speak in Kansai-ben, so it can't be _that _similar. (I heart Kansai-ben, so I paid attention).

Just like Dominik is different among his peers, Leilani stands out compared to the common exeggutor. Her three heads are able to think independently, but when she communicates with her trainer or other pokemon, she can focus her mind to clearly send or speak in one voice. Like Dominik, she's more intelligent and mature than her kind. I guess she has split personalities internally? Or maybe fractions of her personality that speak to one another in her own mind.

Also about Leilani, Dominik reflects on her actual age versus her behavioral age. She must be older than her physical age in "exeggutor years" – how do pokemon life spans compare, anyway? Leilani's related to tropical trees, so she might live for a very long time.


	11. Magnetism Part Two

**Chapter 11 - Magnetism (Part Two)**

As he slept, Dominik became keenly aware of a dream forming. Devoid of any setting or sensation, it consisted of him standing (or perhaps drifting? He felt strangely weightless) in a boundless void. It wasn't a place for sight, touch, or any other earthly sense; it was a place of _being. _

He "heard," in a way, his name spoken by someone feminine, older, and very familiar. He turned in every direction, searching for the source until, at last, she appeared out of nowhere. She was tall and strong, her skin a creamy ivory and her long hair dark green.

"Hello, Dominik," she said.

He knew her as soon as he saw her, but beholding her this way was such a surprise. "Leilani?" he whispered, confirming the truth.

She smiled warmly, her green eyes sparkling. In the form of a woman, she looked lovely and kind. This was the reflection of her soul, the truth behind her intimidating exterior as an exeggutor.

They remained motionless, staring at one another. "It's... good to see you," Dominik said at last.

"Yes, it is," she agreed.

He realized, with certain guilt, that he had no idea what to say next. Here was Leilani, his first pokemon, his soul-sister, and words failed him.

"It's all right," she assured him, and he felt liberated, free to say even the most banal words.

"This is extraordinary. Is there a reason for it?"

"I think it must be an introduction. Here, we are meeting as equals. Not as a human and pokemon, but as equal souls."

Though content to stay in thrall of the experience, Dominik felt a faint, urgent pull. "I'm waking up," he said with regret.

"It's suppose it's time to depart," said Leilani, sad but calm.

"Will we meet like this again?"

"I really hope so."

Dominik awoke slowly in his bed at the pokemon center room. He stared at the ceiling, blinking. Never before had he dreamed anything so vivid, so linear. The image of human-like Leilani remained etched in his memory.

Glancing down at his side, he noticed the strange silver token he'd found in the forest the evening before. He remembered staring at it as he lay in bed that night, his thoughts swirling together madly – wondering what kind of badge it could be, when the man and his alakazam had awakened, if the girl and her pokemon were safe, if he should have alerted the police to a trainer unlawfully ordering a pokemon to attack a human, and if the girl was truly psychic? He must have fallen asleep, and the badge had landed beside him. Grateful that it wasn't lost in the covers, he set it on the night stand, on top of his J.R.R. Torkoal book, where he wouldn't forget it.

Dominik took a quick shower and grabbed breakfast from the pokecenter cafeteria, all the while mulling over his dream. He retrieved his bag from his room, making sure that his pokedex and berry-flavored treats were inside. He picked up the badge and gazed at it a moment more before tucking it safely away in the zippered compartment on his bag's front flap.

As he passed by the old towers, entering the forest, he released his pokemon. The woods were even more breathtaking in the morning light, much more so than they had been the previous evening. Rays of sun streamed through the leaves of the forest, accentuating its mystical surroundings. Neriah scampered ahead, but Dominik and Leilani walked side by side. _How do you suppose I'll find her? _Dominik asked.

_Neriah knows the jolteon's scent. She will find them._

_Do you suppose the badge isn't hers? I don't know why, but I kind of want to keep it. _He paused and took it out of his bag, studying it in the palm of his hand.

_It's pretty, _Leilani remarked. Dominik smiled up at her, then gasped. A faint image shimmered in front of the exeggutor's body, the form of the green-haired woman he had seen in his dream.

"Leilani..." he whispered. Rarely did he speak aloud to her.

Neriah bounded up to them, curious as to why they had stopped walking. Dominik turned to her, and was even more astounded to see a brief vision flicker in and out of sight before the espeon: a young girl with skin, hair, and eyes all in shades of lavender, a red jewel on her forehead. Then, he heard her voice in his mind, her first telepathy without contact. _What's going on?_

Again, Dominik felt as though he wasn't in the forest, but floating. The trees around him appeared and disappeared, as though he was caught between the physical world and another. Then, suddenly, the forest came back into full view, and he became very aware of the earth under his feet, the singing of bird and bug pokemon. His hand had fallen to his side; the badge had dropped to the ground. Leilani and Neriah stared at him, an exeggutor and an espeon, nothing more.

He picked up the silver token, and, after a few minutes' time, felt the same experience, saw the same visions.He purposefully dropped the item again, and was not so surprised when his earthly senses returned. _This badge makes it happen, _he deduced. He snapped his head up, eyes wide with shock. _That wasn't a dream!_

_No, _Leilani answered.

_Was I holding it in my sleep? Or is it more powerful with a mind at rest? _He picked it up and quickly deposited it back in his bag. _Neriah, hurry and find the jolteon's scent. I have to talk to that girl._

The espeon didn't seem to sense his thoughts without the aid of the badge. Before Dominik could repeat his instructions aloud, Leilani conveyed the message to her in pokemon language.

It took some time wandering through the forest, but Neriah knew where she was going. They passed the small moss-covered temple by the stream, the one Dominik had started to investigate the previous night. He smiled as they continued on, making a mental note to come back to the spot and train.

As they walked, the trees grew thicker, almost masking the stone steps where Neriah paused. _Here, _Leilani supplied.

The steps, dozens of them, led up to a hill, curving to the side around the trees. Wide sunbeams illuminated different spots, as if encouraging Dominik that this was where he was destined to go. He drew in a breath and began to climb.

At the top of the long stairway rested a huge stone shrine, similar in structure to the one by the river: stacked blocks carved with intricate designs, a pyramid top, a flat ledge in the middle for offerings. This shrine, however, lacked centuries of plant growth – someone tended to it regularly. Someone, perhaps, who sat on her knees before the altar with her palms pressed together and head lowered in silent prayer. Someone who wasn't dressed for the role, but bore the aura of a devoted priestess just the same.

Rays of light filtered through the canopy above, streaming around her. Dominik watched, urging himself to leave her alone with her devotions, but staying resolutely in place with every passing second. Not until her jolteon rose and wagged his tail at the sight of Neriah did the girl stir, craning her neck over her shoulder to identify the intruders.

Her eyes narrowed. Dominik opened his mouth to speak, but his words were lost, struggling in his throat. Slowly, she rose and approached him, and Dominik realized that she was taller than he, as well as older. It had not seemed so the night before.

Challenged by her hard look, Dominik drew in a breath, meeting her eyes. "I found this," he said, reaching into his bag. Between forefinger and thumb he presented the silver token. "Right after the battle. Is it yours?"

"Yes." She reached her hand expectantly towards him.

He held the badge above her palm for a second, then clutched it tightly in a fist, stepping away. "I'll give it back if you tell me where you got it."

She answered with another glare. Dominik kept his resolve, staring directly at her. He knew a battle of wills when confronted with one. Her eyes – wide, bright, and golden – reminded him of someone...

"Kira," she said in a low voice. Her pikachu scampered to a spot in front of her, cheeks sparking, poised on all fours to attack.

...Lance.

"All right." Dominik shoved out his hand, palm up, showing her the badge. "You can have it. I don't need to know."

Kira relaxed, and her cheeks stopped charging electricity. With a cautious glance at the pikachu, Dominik stepped forth and held his hand several inches above the girl's, dropping the token into her palm without touching her skin. Doing so, he felt a sudden loss – an emptiness that was confirmed as he looked to Leilani and saw only a three-headed tree. He needn't have asked about the badge after all.

"Come on, Neriah," he said quietly, walking away.

"Wait," the girl called, somewhat reluctantly. Dominik paused, but didn't face her. "Thank you," she mumbled guiltily. "I didn't expect you to give it back. You're a better person than I thought."

Dominik sighed, cursing himself for his little act of withholding her prize for ransom in exchange for his answer. He was hardly a "better person."

"And... thank you for stopping him... yesterday," she said in a softer voice.

"I'm sorry," he replied, turning around. "For... the other thing. I can't help it, it's through contact. But you would've been knocked out cold."

"I know."

"I acted without thinking. That doesn't happen too often, and I really am sorry about it." Dominik stuck his hands in his pockets, kicking lightly at the ground. "Psychics are rare.That's why I asked. But whether you are or aren't, it doesn't matter. I'll be moving on after I defeat the gym leader. I won't disturb you again."

He walked slowly beside Leilani. _Come **on**, Neriah, _he sent impatiently, out of habit, as the espeon hadn't budged once.

_Eevee are really rare too, _came the telepathic response.

He whipped around and gaped at his young pokemon, whose mental voice he had never heard without contact. She raised her nose at him with a pleased expression, then nuzzled the jolteon and hurried to Dominik's side, dual-tipped tail wagging. Dominik caught a final glimpse of the black-haired girl, who gave her jolteon a puzzled look. The spiky-furred pokemon lifted his face up towards hers, and it seemed as if they were conversing.

"If you want to train here for your battle with the gym leader," she called out suddenly, "you'd better come back tomorrow. It will storm soon."

Dominik inspected the sunlight peeking through the thick foliage. _Will it? _he asked Neriah, who was naturally sensitive to weather patterns.

_It doesn't seem like it. There are no clouds coming this way._

"Thanks for the warning," he said aloud, to be polite.

_I like Tenrai, _Neriah told him as they descended the ancient stairway. _He said they live there at the shrine. In a treehouse. Can you imagine that? _The espeon was proving to be quite verbal, now that telepathy came easily to her. Dominik figured that the short contact with the badge encouraged this development of her powers.

_What will you teach me? _she asked. _I'm ready to learn new attacks! I'm excited! _She bounded down the steps ahead of the other two.

_I have a good idea, _Dominik told her. _Something I thought of earlier today. It will require a lot of focus, however, so try to direct your excitement towards that._

The three of them returned to the wide stream and the moss-covered miniature temple, which Dominik felt was somehow significant on Leilani's behalf, reverence of plant life coexisting with an ancient relic. He sat down near it, urging Neriah to sit with him. He took a deep breath as he began to clear his mind.

Thunder rolled faintly in the distance. Dominik lifted his head, staring in the direction of the stairtop shrine. _I thought you didn't sense any clouds._

_I didn't! _Neriah panicked, confused that her weather sense could fail.

_Not psychic, huh? _he thought of the girl, standing reluctantly. In a matter of minutes, rain began to pour. Lightning flashed brilliantly, and thunder roared. He retracted Leilani and Neriah to their pokeballs and stared at the trees a moment more, contemplating.

----

The next morning, Dominik and his pokemon returned to the same part of the forest. Leilani stood guard, keeping lookout for dangerous intruders.

The young psychic quickly discovered that meditation came easy in the tranquil woods. Once his mind locked with Neriah's, he guided her through the motions of the complicated attack he wanted her to learn. The potential was definitely there, even if espeon normally couldn't use it. It would take time to hone the skill before challenging the Ecruteak gym leader.

After a few hours, they took a break. Dominik flopped down in the cool grass, sighing. Mental training seemed more exhausting than physical, to which he was no stranger.

_We are being watched, _Leilani cautioned. Dominik sat up, following the exeggutor's gaze. A streak of yellow darted away, and something moved around in the high branches. Dominik suspected Tenrai and his owner, but, as her green and black clothing was hard to detect in the treetops, he couldn't be certain. Neriah barked a greeting, but she received no response.

_She wouldn't harm us, _Neriah assured Dominik. _In fact, it was probably Tenrai's idea to look after us. _There was amusement in her tone.

_I don't like to be watched, _Dominik told her.

_That's why I didn't mention all the spinarak and sentret who are extremely curious about an unmoving human, _Leilani replied wryly. Dominik made a face at her.

They paused again for lunch, and quit in the late afternoon, returning to the pokemon center for dinner. Dominik fell asleep early, resting deeply all night long without any dreams.

The trio repeated this routine the next day. A pikachu boldly observed them, out in the open, and Neriah confirmed that she was Kira, Tenrai's companion. Two more days of training passed, and Leilani reported each evening that the forest-dwelling girl and her two pokemon kept a lengthy watch of them. Dominik felt very conspicuous about it, and kept telling himself that the girl was only looking out for the well-being of the forest.

Or was she wondering if her enemy, the alakazam trainer, would attack Dominik in his vulnerable, meditative state? There had been no sign of him in the four days of training. Leilani made an excellent bodyguard, but the notion that the strange girl would be protecting him from afar confounded Dominik. She had made it a point to live in a treehouse in the deep woods; why would she go out of her way to guard _him?_ No, he told himself, she was definitely making sure the forest's peace remained undisturbed.

On his fifth day in Ecruteak, Dominik decided that Neriah was ready to face the gym leader. He approached the huge towers and the forest entrance as he had done every morning in the past few days, and he smiled thankfully. His training had been enhanced, his mind clearer and more focused, because of the beautiful, peaceful place. He decided that he would make a home deep in a forest someday. Maybe even this forest.

The gym itself was a remodeled Shinto shrine. A young man swept the steps with a contented air about him. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and a blue headband kept his shaggy blond hair out of his eyes. Two lines of braided hemp and beads adorned his neck. Dominik wondered if he was a high-schooler on vacation, or the gym leader's assistant.

"Good morning," he said politely as Dominik approached.

"Hi," said the psychic. "I'm here for a match."

"Ah... do come inside."

Dominik followed him, perplexed that no one else was inside the cleared-out battle room. "My referee stepped out for the moment," the young man said. "If you like to stick to the rules, we should wait for him, but it's fine by me if we battle now."

"Your..." Dominik started to say as the realization hit him.

"Did you not know? I'm Morty, the gym leader."

Lance's words "accomplished spirit medium" echoed throughout Dominik's mind as he stared at the spacey-looking young man. _Not again, _he groaned to himself. _Not another ridiculously simple-minded gym leader! Lance, how long ago did you take the Johto challenge? How much has changed?_

Morty smiled. "Surprised? I get that a lot."

"Sorry," Dominik mumbled, reminding himself not to judge by appearances.

"I can tell you're after a true challenge. I can also tell that you're a psychic."

He blinked. "You can?"

Morty smiled again. "My specialty is ghost pokemon, whose attacks are particularly strong against psychic pokemon, which, I assume, is _your _specialty. How does that sound?"

Dominik grinned. "Sounds like what I've been training for. Let's get started now! My name's Dominik, by the way."

"Best of luck to you." Morty bowed and took his place at one end of the large room.

Dominik set down his messenger bag and unclipped Leilani's ball from his belt, sending her out to battle first. Recognizing that she was the stronger of his pokemon, Morty sent out his most powerful, a gengar. Leilani's solarbeam attack did more damage to it than her psychic-type moves, but she was bested when the gengar put her to sleep using hypnosis, then launched its dream eater attack. Dominik watched in horror as Gengar absorbed the exeggutor's energy for itself while she slept, helpless to fight back despite Dominik's calls. He returned her to her ball and sent out Neriah, his heart pounding. Truly, this was the type of battle for which he'd been waiting.

"Gengar, use shadow ball!" Morty commanded.

Neriah gracefully leapt away from the black blob of energy. _Remember what we worked on, _Dominik sent to her. "Hypnosis!" he ordered.

"Oh?" Morty raised his eyebrows, intrigued. His shadow pokemon shook its head from side to side, flinching. "Looks like it didn't work. Gengar's still awake."

Dominik barely heard him, as he was concentrating along with Neriah. Finally, her focus slipped, and she staggered. Dominik held his breath.

"Let's show them how hypnosis is really done, Gengar," Morty suggested. But his pokemon stood still, looking around as if it hadn't understood. The gym leader continued to shout at it.

"Looks like it _did _work," Dominik corrected. "My espeon is trained to use it in a special way. The power of hypnosis lies in the ability to induce and reinforce a suggestion. So, rather than suggest that Gengar go to sleep, she gave him the illusion of defeat. He won't battle now."

Morty gaped at his challenger. "True hypnosis, indeed. We usually only use it to put a foe to sleep." He watched his listless gengar and sighed, retracting it back to its pokeball. "I commend you, Dominik. You're very insightful. To have Neriah use that attack in such a way really demonstrates her level... and your own psychic abilities."

"Thanks." The psychic boy felt relieved and astonished that the unconventional hypnosis actually worked. Neriah, however, collapsed from mental exhaustion. Dominik sent her to her ball, sending his thanks to her, whether she could hear him or not.

Leilani, waking up after her release, faced Morty's second pokemon, a haunter, easily. While its night shade attack did considerable damage, a couple of her solarbeams finally defeated it. With a pounding heart and a smile that had not emerged in days, Dominik accepted Morty's Fog Badge.

"Congratulations, you're halfway through the Johto League challenge," Morty told him. "How has it been for you?"

Dominik looked up at the gym leader. "Honestly? I haven't been impressed until now. It's not just your type advantage or your connection to the spiritual, you're a different class of gym leader than the first three."

Morty laughed out loud. "It's true. The Johto League purposefully establishes weaker gym leaders at the beginning of the challenge. The idea is to prepare young trainers for the unexpected."

Dominik stared at Morty in disbelief, then laughed. "That's awesome! I have a whole new respect for Johto now. I like this region more and more every day."

"I'm glad. A lot of kids your age don't appreciate all that Johto has to offer. Many of them quit the challenge after facing me and then Jasmine, whom you'll meet in Olivine."

Dominik nodded. "I had my doubts at first. That should teach me a lesson too, huh?"

The front door burst open at that point. "I'm back!" called a voice, and a sharply-dressed man entered the battle area. "Morty, I found out..." He trailed off as he noticed Dominik. "_You!_"

The young psychic gasped as he recognized the alakazam trainer.

"I hope you didn't give this meddlesome boy a badge, Morty!" the man huffed. "Or did he perhaps trick you into handing it over?"

Morty rolled his eyes. "He's an excellent trainer, Eusine. What's bothering you now?"

"What did you do, go back for another electro-shock treatment?" Dominik mocked. "Care to sleep it off again?"

Eusine glared at him.

"You haven't been after her again, have you?" Morty asked with dawning comprehension. "I'm serious, if you don't leave her alone, I'll take matters into my own hands!"

"She doesn't belong there! It's an outrage!"

"It's an outrage that he attacked her directly with his pokemon!" Dominik shouted. "More than once!"

"Like you didn't do the same thing! I was knocked out for hours!"

"It was sleep powder, and it was the only way to keep you under control!"

"Eusine!" Morty cried. "I can't believe you would stoop so low! Why can't you let her be?"

"I wouldn't expect you, of all people, to ask _me _that." Eusine whirled around, his short cape flapping as he stalked out of the room.

Morty sighed and scratched the back of his head. "So you stopped him from doing any harm? That's very noble of you, Dominik."

The boy stared in the direction Eusine had gone. "I just thought they shouldn't disturb the forest. With all the shrines around... I got the feeling that it's a sacred place." He turned back to Morty. "Why does he act like that? What's he got against her?" He realized, regretfully, that he didn't know her name.

The gym leader smiled sympathetically. "A few years ago, she came here to live in seclusion. She made her home by an ancient shrine to Raikou, the legendary pokemon god of thunder."

"Raikou..." Dominik whispered, remembering how she knelt and prayed to the huge stone structure.

"It's a local myth that she's the closest thing Raikou has to a trainer. They say she rides on his back as he patrols the forest." Morty chuckled. "They also say that every summer solstice, Raikou conducts a magnificent storm in honor of her birthday."

Dominik counted on his fingers. "That was five days ago, the summer solstice. I talked to her, and she warned me it would storm, even though it was clear. Neriah didn't even sense it."

"I don't think you can predict the whim of a god," Morty mused. "You talked to her that day? Was that when you fought Eusine?"

"No, that was the day before. I went back to the forest... to train." He didn't want to tell Morty about the mysterious badge.

The gym leader smiled. "Anyway, to answer your question, Eusine studies legendary pokemon. His lifelong dream is to make contact with Suicune, the god of the north wind. He's insanely jealous of the girl who came out of nowhere and took it upon herself to guard the shrine of Suicune's brother. He's convinced that she'll turn Suicune against him."

"Oh," said Dominik softly.

"He also seems to think she possesses some device that could allow him to speak Suicune's language, or something," Morty continued. "He's always venturing into the forest to fight with her, but her pokemon are at much higher levels than his. Although, it seems now he's taken to attacking her directly." He frowned. "I don't want to have to alert the authorities... but he can't keep doing it."

"I guess that means you'll have to turn me in, too," Dominik said. "Leilani acted on her own, using sleep powder, but I take full responsibility for her."

Morty smiled again. "I think I can leave that detail out. She was acting on your behalf, wanting to protect you... and your new friend?" He added the last part daringly.

Dominik's cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked away. "I didn't do it for her," he mumbled. "I just wanted the forest to remain peaceful." He was annoyed that Morty disrupted his composure with his subtle teasing.

Looking amused, Morty nodded towards the window. Dominik turned to look, and could see, in the lower corner, the edge of what could have been a head of black hair. Aware that the silence meant she had been discovered, the girl fled, her footsteps fading into the distance. Lighter feet padded after her, and Dominik heard the unmistakable squeak of a pikachu.

"I think she watched our entire match," Morty said.

"She probably just brought her jolteon to see Neriah. They're interested in one another, being eevee."

"Is that it?" The gym leader broke out into a bemused grin.

_Isn't it? _Dominik thought, glancing at the window again. Hadn't she been watching him over the past five days because Tenrai was curious about Neriah? Or, knowing that Eusine was a friend of Morty's, had she come once again to make sure the fanatic wouldn't attack Dominik?

If she had the slightest amount of concern for him, Dominik swore it wouldn't be for nothing. He marched out of the battle area, towards the back rooms where Eusine had exited. He found the man in a small library, standing over an old book.

"You again," Eusine said bitterly. "You have your badge, now get going to the next town."

"Not until you swear to mind your own business."

"Mind _my _business? Why do you care so much?"

The question took Dominik by surprise. Why _did _he care about a nameless hermit? _No, I care about the forest, _he reminded himself yet again. _Neriah evolved in one, Leilani is at home there, and it's a sacred and beautiful place. That's all._

"You won't get near Suicune, acting this way," he ventured. "The gods, even pokemon gods, are put off by acts of hatred and violence, especially towards their followers."

Eusine slammed his book shut and approached Dominik, his face livid. "Who do you think you are, to judge _me? _You're nothing but a child."

"Who do you think _you _are, acting like you're better than everyone?" Dominik shot back.

Eusine raised an arm to strike, but Dominik acted quickly. He grabbed the fanatic's wrist, lifting the fabric of his jacket high enough to touch the skin between his sleeve and his glove. Eusine struggled, trying to push Dominik away with his free hand, but the boy caught that arm in the same fashion. He planted his feet firmly apart, willing Eusine to stand still as he probed his innermost thoughts.

Jealousy and spite existed in abundance, just as Morty had described. A fierce determination to be purified for Suicune, resulting in strict abstinence (and much frustration). These feelings were constant, fueling Eusine's obsession – there was little else for Dominik to see. _Tell me why it matters so much, _he sent to him. _Why are you so fixated on Suicune?_

But Eusine didn't respond telepathically, only struggled with his body. Training an alakazam hadn't enhanced his mind, and, if he was psychic at all, he was a weak one. This realization broke Dominik's mental hold, and Eusine freed himself, shoving the boy to the floor.

"You're asking for it now," he sneered, gasping for breath, his eyes wild. "Not just her, but you too. No one invades my mind and gets away with it. I'll get rid of you both, one way or another, when you least suspect it." He threw something to the floor, which erupted into a cloud of thick white smoke. Dominik fanned the air around him, and, when the smoke cleared, Eusine was gone, a magic trick worthy of his ridiculous attire.

"Dominik?" Morty came in as the psychic got up, rubbing his backside.

"He's insane," Dominik said. "I read his thoughts, and he threatened to kill me."

"He wouldn't," Morty assured him, though he couldn't disguise the doubt and fear in his voice.

"He'll go after her first... if he does anything to her, it'll be my fault!" Dominik bolted from the library, grabbed his bag from the battle area, and fled from the Ecruteak gym.

"Where are you going?" Morty chased after him as far as the outside steps.

"Find Eusine, and try to calm him down!" Dominik called without stopping.

----

Though Neriah was tired from her battle with Gengar, she sniffed out Tenrai's recent path through the forest. Dominik had a feeling that the jolteon and his companions would return to their home at Raikou's shrine, but he wanted to be certain before he barged into the holy place.

At the foot of the stairway, he retracted Neriah to her ball, promising her a long rest. Then he raced up the steps. At the top, Tenrai appeared to be waiting for him, alerted by his clambering ascent.

Dominik bent over to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees. As he did, he saw the girl's black boots step closer to him. He stood upright slowly, taking in the sight of her beaten pants, faded black tank top, and very long hair, still in its thick braid. Her expression was solemn, but otherwise unreadable.

"It's Eusine," he said breathlessly. "I... I read his mind, and asked him why he's so obsessed with Suicune. He got really offended, and he threatened to kill us both."

"His idle threats do not scare me," she said with indifference.

"He's serious, I could tell! That look in his eyes, it was real madness!"

"I've seen that look a hundred times by now. Eusine is all talk."

"But _I'm _the one that pushed him over the edge this time!" Dominik insisted. Why was she so unresponsive? Couldn't she see that he had practically flown to deliver her this warning? He continued to breathe heavily, and he stared at her golden eyes, hoping that she understood.

Her stony face softened ever so slightly. "Please don't worry," she said. "My pokemon are very strong. Plus, if Morty suspects anything, he'll put a stop to it. I trust him."

"It's still my fault. I'll fight him myself, before he can even come near you."

She blinked, stunned. "Why is it that important to you?"

"I always take responsibility for my actions. I'm caught up in this mess with Eusine now, and I'll stick around until it's taken care of." He looked around, then tossed his bag to the ground beside his feet. "I'm staying here, on guard."

"You can't do that!" She rose her voice for the first time. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because Eusine can't keep acting this way! He needs to learn just how misguided he is!"

"I don't mean Eusine!" she snapped, then lowered her voice as she asked, with a twinge of sadness, "why do you care about _me?_"

Dominik stared at her dark features, grasping for words that wouldn't come. "I... don't know," he was forced to admit.

She turned her head away, frustrated. "Well, why did you come to the gym?" Dominik rebutted. "Why have you been watching me all this time?"

Her golden eyes widened as she looked at him again. "I don't know either," she said softly, openly.

The silence that followed gave Dominik time to wonder if she truly didn't know, or if she had caught on to his language, and her answer meant the same as his.

"I still want to stay," he said quietly. "If anything, Neriah and Tenrai can spend more time together."

"Do whatever you want," she told him, turning to go back to her treehouse. Dominik noticed a sturdy rope ladder suspended from an enormous tree, though any house was hidden above the leaves.

"Wait!" he called out. "Um... my name's Dominik. Just so you know."

She paused in her tracks, and a moment passed before she spoke again. "I'm Amara." Then she climbed nimbly up the rope ladder and disappeared into the foliage.

----

Author's Notes: Oh man, I'm so happy with how this turned out. Best chapter to date, no contest. Longest, too.

I summarized over half of Dominik and Morty's battle because writing it out play by play would have made it even longer. Truth be told, I find pokemon battles to be a bit boring. "Use this attack!" attack is described "Counter with this!" further description When I read fanfics, I skim over the battle scenes until I find out who wins (sorry, writers! '). Unless something significant to the plot occurs during the battle, then I'll read, but otherwise, I find it to be filler material. I'm weird.

Neriah and Tenrai are almost anagrams. That is entirely coincidental, and I just noticed it while writing this chapter. I picked out their names _three years ago_,and it never occurred to me. My subconscious is awesome.

I really like the Johto gyms. With Falkner, Bugsy, and Whitney, there aren't any surprises (no offense, Falkner! I still love you!), but you get to Morty, Jasmine, and Chuck... a spacey guy, a frail girl, and a chubby former fighter. You just don't expect them to be as strong as they are. Good strategy, Johto. XD


	12. Magnetism Part Three

**Chapter 12 - Magnetism (Part Three)**

Upon finishing a chapter of J.R.R. Torkoal's novel, Dominik paused and gazed up at the ancient stone structure that served as a monument for Raikou, the pokemon god of thunder. The young psychic sighed; much had happened today, and it was only afternoon. Though sitting with his back against a tree trunk wasn't the most comfortable position, he felt he could fall asleep right there. He began reading again, but the words blurred together, no longer making sense.

He awoke vaguely to the feeling of something lightly prodding his leg. A wet nose brushing against his fingers brought him to his senses. A pikachu sniffed his hand and book, eyes sparkling with curiosity. Dominik petted her head, and he realized that her owner, the taciturn Amara, stood over him. A small bundle of fish, most likely dinner, dangled from the line in her hand.

"How long was I asleep?" Dominik mumbled.

"Maybe an hour. It's not time to eat yet. This will take awhile to prepare."

In his fervor to appoint himself guard at Amara's treehouse, Dominik forgot that his stay, no matter how long, would include mealtimes. As if she had just picked up on his worry, Amara said, "There's plenty for you, too."

"Really? I don't want to impose..." Dominik felt guiltier by the second.

"Tenrai insisted on your hospitality." She nodded to her jolteon, who lay curled up with Dominik's Neriah, napping.

A rush of overprotectiveness seized him. "She's too young to get involved like that," he muttered.

Amara blinked, and for the briefest of moments, she seemed amused.

While she cleaned and skinned her catches, Dominik helped by getting a fire ready in the designated area, a small stone-lined pit a few feet away from the treehouse. He recalled techniques he had seen on television, and tried rubbing sticks together, then striking rocks. Neither produced any flame. He felt foolish as Amara took the rocks from him and cracked them together, expertly producing a spark which seemed to jump right into the pit. In no time, a fire blazed.

"How did you learn all these survival skills?" Dominik asked. "I mean, did you always know about this stuff, or did someone teach you?"

"I taught myself, mostly. Morty helped me out a little, too." Amara held an old cast-iron skillet over the fire, cooking the fish.

"So you're friends with him? He told me you came here a few years ago... but that's all."

"You could say that, I suppose."

Dominik found it odd that Amara and Eusine, who hated each other, were both friends with the gym leader. Was it some kind of love triangle? That idea made Dominik uneasy somehow, and he told himself that it couldn't be right.

They ate in silence, except to talk to their pokemon as they shared bites. Leilani found her own dinner, but Neriah devoured the fish. "She'll be spoiled," Dominik said. "Pokemon food won't taste the same now."

_Obviously we should just stay here, _the espeon suggested.

Dominik wished they _could _remain in the forest paradise. "You're lucky," he remarked to Amara. "To live here, with just your pokemon and your instincts. I've been traveling and collecting badges for a year, and I don't know any camping skills. I stay at pokemon centers. I don't even own a sleeping bag... the closest thing I've got is a water bottle."

"Hmph." Amara made a dismissive sound. "Maybe you're the one who is lucky." Then she rose and started cleaning up the area, leaving Dominik to wonder what she meant.

He kicked some dirt into the fire pit, muffling the flames – at least he knew how to extinguish a fire. But when he turned around to ask Amara what else he could do, he saw that she had vanished. Sighing, he returned to his spot by the tree trunk. A quiet evening of revisiting Torkoal's land awaited him, at least, until it grew dark. Reading for hours by pocket flashlight didn't sound very entertaining.

Leilani, refreshed from the afternoon's sleep, volunteered to keep her mind's eye open for Eusine. _Maybe he **was **just talking big, _Dominik speculated to her. _Morty should have talked to him by now, and he's probably calmed down. Plus, Amara doesn't seem worried at all._

_Still, past experience tells us that he will return to try for her badge, _Leilani countered.

_At which point she'll thundershock him away. _Dominik thunked his head against the tree's rough bark. _What am I doing here? She doesn't need or want my help. I could head back to the pokemon center now, have a filling dinner and a comfortable bed..._

_And miss the chance to camp outside?_

_Even Amara has a shelter. _Dominik peered up at the canopy above him. He still couldn't detect her treehouse through the leaves. _It's not like I'm proving anything by camping out. The Indigo League Champion can do whatever he wants. In fact, I think I became Champion in the first place by getting plenty of rest and food indoors! Not like trainers who think they're all macho by roughing it or something._

Leilani chuckled. _You're an elite trainer, all right, _she told him wryly.

_That's right, I've got to get to Olivine in a few weeks and meet Lance again. _Dominik's thoughts wandered to the former champion and his offer to induct the psychic into his circle of elitists. That honor plus his championship title was sure to gain him all the recognition he would need for the rest of his youth. Not like his school in Saffron...

As twilight settled, Amara approached the treehouse with Kira, her pikachu, at her heels. She paused in front of where Dominik sat, looking down at him pointedly. He stared back, waiting.

"Come up to the treehouse," she said. "The ground is too cold and hard for sleeping."

So certain was he that she would tell him to leave, Dominik didn't know how to respond at first. "Are you sure? I can go back to town if you really want me to."

"It'll be dark before you're halfway through the woods," Amara said in a matter-of-fact way. "So come on." She grabbed the rope ladder that dangled nearby. Kira jumped up to her shoulders for a ride.

Dominik hurriedly grabbed his bag and slung it over his own shoulders. _Coming? _he asked Neriah.

_I think we'll stay here, _the espeon replied, speaking for herself and for Tenrai. _We can both watch for intruders with Leilani._

Dominik watched as Amara deftly climbed upwards, disappearing into the foliage. Having never scaled a swinging ladder (or a proper stationary one, at that), Dominik gripped it tightly and stepped up cautiously, both feet resting on the first rung. His stomach churned as the ladder swung gently. Knowing he was only inches away from the ground didn't calm the sensation.

_It's safe, _he told himself. _Amara does it every day, and she has to balance Kira, apparently. _Repeating this, he climbed up slowly, pausing as each step created another swinging motion. Several minutes passed before he reached the thick leaves, and he became even more nervous as they obscured his sight. He concentrated on the rope between his hands, lifting one foot after the other excruciatingly slow.

At last, coming out of the foliage, Dominik saw the treehouse, which exceeded his expectations. Made entirely of wood, a wide circular deck supported by slanting stilts, provided a flat surface on which the solid shelter rested. It had a sturdy roof, a curtained-off door, and a few round windows. Dominik gaped at this tall, neatly-constructed building as he held onto the gently-swinging ladder.

"Oh," he said as he noticed Amara standing by the door, waiting. He swung himself awkwardly onto the deck, flailing for balance as he stepped away from the edge. Being so high from the ground made him very anxious.

Amara pointed out to the distance. "Look there, you'll feel better," she said. The young psychic turned around and gasped – the treehouse was so high up that he could see the sky with its brilliant sunset. Though many other tall trees surrounded them, the tops of others spread out below like a rich green carpet, as far as the eye could see.

"It's beautiful," Dominik whispered. He wished that Leilani could see, but he didn't think the platform would support a 260-pound exeggutor along with the two humans. He turned to examine the height of the treehouse, and met Amara's eyes.

She smiled a little. "Yes, it is," she agreed, gazing up at the sunset.

Dominik smiled back. It was the first time he had seen her look at all happy, and he was glad for it.

He followed her inside, studying every bit of the interior, where she lived. An old rug covered most of the floor, and the square room lacked any furnishings save for a wall of shelves on which rested Amara's few possessions – some folded-up clothes, extra blankets, baskets, bottles, and boxes. A hammock was suspended in a corner for her bed. The windows had little curtains of their own, though not as heavy as the one guarding the door.

"You didn't... _build _this yourself, did you?" Dominik asked incredulously.

"No." Amara handed him a stack of blankets. "There are treehouses like this all over. There's even a village in another part of the forest. Luckily, I found this one isolated here. It's likely that its last inhabitant looked after Raikou's shrine."

Dominik spread out a couple of blankets to cushion the wooden floor. "Have you always felt close to Raikou?"

Amara intently watched him make up his bed, the blankets unfurling widely. As they settled, Kira jumped on them, claiming a spot. "I suppose so. I've loved storms since I was very little. I didn't plan to live at one of his shrines, but when I found this place, I knew it would be my home."

"Plus, you have electric pokemon," Dominik pointed out, smiling at the pikachu. "It seems like lightning is your element."

Amara gave him a curious look. "Yes, I suppose so."

He sat down on the blankets and pulled off his tennis shoes, wiggling his toes inside white socks. "Were you always wandering? Didn't you have a home before you came here?"

She glanced to one side uncomfortably. "I didn't mean to– forget I said anything!" Dominik cried.

"I had a bad experience," Amara said quietly. "So I left with Kira and Tenrai."

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to ask so many questions, but..." To say "I want to know all about you" was very difficult. After all, she had her secrets barricaded. She wouldn't release them so freely.

"It's all right." She sat on her hammock, rocking gently as she unlaced her black boots and kicked them off. "I get up at sunrise or a little after, but if you're used to sleeping later than that, you can. I'll be rounding up breakfast."

Dominik nodded, but soon froze as his stomach gave a loud rumble. "Can we skip ahead to breakfast now?"

Amara giggled softly. "Sorry about the small dinner." She walked over to a tall shelf along the back wall and retrieved a basket full to the brim with wild berries. "It's all I've got here. We'll have a big breakfast tomorrow, I promise."

"I've got a few snacks, too. But these should be enough." Dominik devoured a handful of the sweet red berries. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Dominik smiled at Amara as she returned to her hammock, but he couldn't see her very well in the now-dark treehouse. "What do you do for light?" he asked, unable to recall if he'd seen any lanterns.

"Kira," Amara said to her pikachu. She knew what to do on command: her body glowed, and a circle of light grew around her, illuminating the treehouse as if a lamp had just been turned on. Kira squeaked proudly at Dominik.

"I should have known." He petted her and fed her a berry. "Um... if it's all right with you, I'll read for a bit by flashlight," he said to Amara. "Under the blanket, even. It's small, not like Kira's flash."

"That won't bother me." She stretched out in her hammock. "Sleep well, when you do."

"You too." Dominik pulled his book and his travel-sized flashlight out of his bag while Kira's flash remained in effect. She circled in place on his makeshift bed until she settled down for sleep. Dominik lay on his back, using his bag for a pillow. He stared at the ceiling, visible since his eyes had adjusted to the dark, and it was a long time before he turned on his flashlight to read.

----

He awoke well past sunrise, grateful to have finally fallen asleep after what seemed like hours. _I definitely miss the beds at the pokecenters, _he thought wearily, yawning wide. He changed his mind, however, when he saw Amara sitting up in her hammock, flipping slowly through his J.R.R. Torkoal book with a pensive expression.

"Have you read it?" he asked.

"My two friends from school did," she answered quietly. "Committed parts to memory, even. But every time I tried, it didn't make sense. I never knew what was going on."

"Torkoal's pretty vague in places. And he likes long descriptions. So a three-page paragraph describing the same vague thing _is _pretty complicated." Dominik chuckled. "That's why you have to read it several times. I still learn things when I do."

"I figured I was just stupid." Amara smirked in a self-deprecating way.

"Oh, no, I don't think so," Dominik said. "It takes someone really resourceful to live in the woods like you do, and for so long. Look at me – I can't stop complaining about missing the pokemon center. Just ask Leilani."

Amara handed the book back to him. "Well, I was the worst student in the eighth grade. You can ask my old teachers. They reminded the rest of the class about me every day."

Dominik raised a blond eyebrow. "What? They announced everyone's grades in class or something?" he asked incredulously.

"Just mine. Everyone thought it was funny, the girl who hung around the two top students could be so far behind. If they couldn't influence me, nothing could get through, right?"

Dominik frowned. "Sounds like the opposite of my school. I _was _one of the best students, but they wanted to dumb me down or something so I'd be more 'equal' to everyone else. I didn't have any friends I could really talk to, but forcing me to socialize and play sports with dumb kids wasn't the way to meet anyone I'd like."

"Don't feel obligated to stay here with me, now."

Dominik looked up at her, horrified. "No, I didn't mean it like that!"

Amara smiled a little. "I was kidding. Sorry, my sense of humor is kind of non-existent out here in the wilderness."

He relaxed after that.

"So, did you drop out of school, too?" Amara asked. "You know all there is to know, so you're honing your psychic abilities by training pokemon?"

"No... I don't know." Dominik brought his knees to his chest. "See, I found Leilani's nest – from when she was an exeggcute – on the playground at recess one day. It had fallen out of a tree some kids had climbed. They pushed her out, she told me that later. I took her to the principal and demanded that they be punished, but she said she couldn't punish kids for playing at recess like they're supposed to."

Amara listened, her golden eyes wide with shock.

"Instead, the principal told me that since I cared so much about pokemon, that I should go on a trainer's journey. I knew it was to get me out of the class since I didn't want to 'play along' with everyone else, but that suited me just fine. So, during what would have been my last year of middle school, I enrolled in the Indigo League challenge. I collected a team of six, got all the Indigo gym badges, and won the championship this past spring. That and my grades earned me enough credit to graduate middle school."

"Indigo League Champion, huh?" Amara asked. She sounded amused, most likely because of the offhand manner in which Dominik mentioned it.

He nodded. "After that, a former champion, Lance, sought me out. He asked what my plans are, and I told him I figured I should go on to high school. He seemed very against the idea, for all I complained about school before that – he thinks the same way I do about it, that it just feeds you pointless information. He suggested I take the Johto League challenge, and when I finish that, he'll induct me into his elite group of trainers. People like me."

"Elitists who look down on people like me."

Dominik stared at her incredulously. "No, not at all! People like the ones at my school! You're not like them, you love and respect your pokemon, and you're strong and independent! More so than anyone I've ever met!" He felt his face become very warm. "If anything, Lance should induct you, too. You might be the same as us – and you might have fallen behind so much at your school because it wasn't truly challenging. I bet if they'd had a wilderness survival class, you would have been the best."

"Some fancy title from a bunch of snobs isn't going to matter to me," said Amara. "I don't live in a society where prestige counts. I don't live in a society at all."

Though her tone was neutral, her words hit Dominik hard. He never thought of himself as snobbish, just in search of like minds. Being better than the average public was all he had to define himself, as a student, a pokemon trainer, and a psychic.

"But if that will make you happy, then you should do it," Amara added, smiling in her faint way. "Nothing matters if you're not satisfied with your life." She got out of the hammock and brought three baskets filled with berries and nuts, which had been sitting by the door, over to Dominik. "It doesn't look like much, but it's filling, trust me," she said. "But if you really want to have a breakfast like you're used to at the pokemon center, you can go. Stop by Morty's on your way there – surely he's talked some sense into Eusine by now, and you can see that he's really not going to kill us."

Dominik blinked as comprehension dawned on him. "You knew he wouldn't come! Yesterday, I was scared out of my mind for you, and you let me stay that way!"

Amara stared at their breakfast, not meeting his eyes. "I was flattered," she said softly. "And I know Eusine wasn't the real reason you came here."

Dominik hunkered down, his head dropping below his shoulders, humiliated at the attention brought to his childlike affection. "You could've sent me back to town," he mumbled.

"I know."

So she felt sorry for him, he thought. He was a kid from the city in awe of the forest priestess, and she deigned to let him stay in her presence for a little while. But it didn't seem in Amara's nature to do something so cruel. Maybe...

"Well... thank you anyway," he said. "I'm really happy to have stayed here. Especially after what happened the first time we met. It means a lot to me."

"Me too. You're welcome."

Dominik knew. She wanted him to be there just as much as he did.

From the pocket of her heavy olive pants, Amara pulled out the mysterious badge and held it in her upward palm. "Would you like to take it with you?"

He looked from it to her, stunned. "Why?"

"I'm not keeping it from Eusine because I want it. It's for his own good... and the good of the world. This badge in his hands would mean a disaster."

"But... the things it can do! I know you can 'see' Kira and Tenrai the same way I saw Leilani and Neriah! You can't give that up!" He paused as what she said sunk in. "What do you mean, a disaster?"

Amara sat down across from Dominik, laying the badge on the floor between them. "I can 'see' them the same way through deep meditation. I've had years of practice, and Morty's guidance. The badge makes that spiritual contact much easier, but that's not all it can do." She looked up at him gravely. "If the bond between you and your pokemon is completely synchronized in the astral plane, your souls will merge. You would gain the potential to use her abilities in the physical world."

"What?" Dominik whispered incredulously.

"If your emotions are heightened to the right level, that is. It's extremely taxing on the mind to form such a bond. As a result, the things you feel the most are amplified to a overpowering level. Eusine's crazed obsession with Suicune makes him dangerous enough as it is. Could you imagine what he would do if he could use his alakazam's psychic powers?"

"Oh..." Dominik wondered who would make such a terrible device.

"Besides," Amara went on, "this badge is the reason I left home. Carrying it with me is a constant reminder of what happened. I truly do not want it, but I could never just throw it away where anyone might find it." She looked into his eyes intently. "I know I can trust you with it. You already possess your own power, and you can learn to meditate in order to speak with your pokemon. Once Eusine learns I don't have it, he will leave me alone."

Dominik shook his head in disbelief. "That won't make him stop harassing you. He's still jealous of your connection to Raikou."

"There's not much I can do about that."

Dominik furrowed his brow in thought. "You can come with me."

"What?" It was Amara's turn to be stunned by his words.

"I know the forest and the shrine is your home, but you'd be away from him. You wouldn't have to give me your badge... even if you don't want it, I don't feel right taking it from you."

She shook her head. "I can't... I never did well around people. I can't leave the only place I feel at home."

"It wouldn't be so bad... if you stayed with me."

He waited, silently pleading, hoping that she could somehow read his thoughts without contact, the way Leilani and now Neriah did. Amara wiped a tear from her cheek, frightened and touched at the same time. "Maybe," she whispered.

Dominik grinned in spite of himself. Noticing, Amara smiled back, and he knew, just knew, that she was really saying, "Yes, it would mean the world to me to travel Johto with you."

----

Two more days passed, and Dominik remained in the forest, rising with Amara at dawn to gather the day's food. He learned how to catch a fish, and even how to spark a fire. She started reading Torkoal, since she planned to finish it on their journey together. She had even begun to pack together her belongings, slowly.

Dominik sat on the topmost step of the natural staircase, gazing peacefully at the surrounding forest. Leilani stood at his side, and Kira sat in his lap. _I'm happy you're happy, _the exeggutor remarked.

The young psychic smiled anew, stroking Kira's soft yellow fur. _It might be silly of me to feel like this. She's over five years older than I am. But... I can't help it. Somehow, I understand everything about her, like we have the same mind. I'm drawn to her in a way I can't fully explain._

The one thing he regretted was that he refrained from making any physical contact, lest she recoil from his telepathic intrusion again. However, there were numerous times when he wanted to hold her hand or touch her waist-length braid... but he was too cautious even to feel her hair; he might accidently brush her bare shoulder. Instead, he mulled over these brand new emotions, and realized that he was definitely maturing.

_Maybe it's because Neriah is changing, too, _he mused. His espeon spent all her time with the much older Tenrai. Nothing had resulted of their new relationship, however, since she was still too young. But maybe her immature natural instincts were bringing out Dominik's own?

_It's more than that, _Leilani reassured him. _If you two were just channeling Neriah and Tenrai's affection, then Amara might want a little more from you than friendship._

He laughed in spite of his embarrassment. _That's true... good thing, then. _

Leilani's three heads grinned simultaneously, but soon quickly dropped to alert gazes. _He is coming._

_What? _Dominik sprang to his feet, dropping Kira to the ground.

_Morty is with him. I don't think there is any danger._

Still, Dominik raced to the foot of Amara's enormous tree. Kira was faster, however – she cried out loudly, and the rope ladder shook as Amara descended hastily.

"What is it?" she asked Dominik as she jumped to the ground.

"Morty and Eusine are coming."

Amara frowned. For all her insistence that Eusine wasn't too dangerous, that Morty had some amount of control over him, she looked troubled. She reached into her pocket and held her hand, closed around the badge, out to Dominik. "Take it."

"What? You don't think he'll–"

She grabbed his hand and pressed the badge into it, closing his fingers over it. With practiced discipline, she spoke in his mind, carefully keeping out any stray feelings. _Just in case. He won't expect an attack from you._

She left and called for Tenrai and Neriah. Dominik quickly pocketed the silver token, awestruck at her sudden telepathy. She was frightened, and, more than that, she trusted him at last to protect her.

_Couldn't you just put him to sleep again? _he asked Leilani.

_I could. But if I understand what Amara told you of that badge, an attack from a human has a much more devastating effect on another human than if a pokemon were to attack a him. _

_What does it matter who puts him to sleep?_

_I think you must do more than that. The key to putting an end to Eusine is to understand his motives and reason with him, not pacify him temporarily._

Dominik shook his head. _I tried that already, remember?_

_You must make him open his mind to you. _

It dawned on him then.

Morty and Eusine reached the top of the stone staircase. "Dominik, you _are _here," Morty said. "The nurse at the pokemon center asked me to look for you. You haven't checked into your room in two days."

"Sorry," he said. "I kind of forgot about that..."

The gym leader smiled, then looked at Amara, who had come to Dominik's side. "I also have something to tell you," he said. "I'm escorting Eusine back to his home in Cerulean City. We've been talking, and we agreed that he should spend some time there."

Behind him, the white-caped Eusine scowled. Morty glanced over his shoulder at him. "Don't you have something to say?" he asked pointedly.

Eusine glared at the two. "I'll go back once these two have learned their lesson!" He pushed Morty out of his way and lunged at Amara. She dodged him, and Morty grabbed his short cape, trying to restrain him. Eusine elbowed him sharply in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Morty collapsed, clutching his middle, and Eusine continued his advance on Amara, even as Kira and Tenrai stood before her, both charging the air around them with high voltage.

Dominik raced behind the stone shrine. "Guard me for just a bit, Raikou," he whispered. Clutching the badge, he sent his thoughts urgently to Neriah. _Please meet me. Hurry and guide me to the spiritual plane!_

"Dominik," Neriah spoke. He opened his eyes and saw her, a young girl with lavender skin and darker purple hair.

"I don't know how... but you have to lend me your powers," he gasped. "Amara said I have to use them!"

Neriah nodded, though she looked a little bewildered as well. "I suppose... it's like this," she said, stepping closer. She wrapped her arms around Dominik and slowly faded, disappearing _into _him. He clutched his chest, feeling her being inside his... and feeling the immense potential of her powers.

"Neriah," he whispered. He knew, as she knew, that he had to return to his body.

Awakening in the physical world, he noticed the espeon's body before his, lying still and breathing softly, as if sleeping. He looked down at his hand, and flexed his fingers, feeling Neriah's sense of wonder at moving around in a human body. But there was no time for amazement. He sprinted towards Eusine, who held a struggling Amara at the edge of the topmost step, preparing to push her down the long, hard flight. "Eusine!" he shouted, narrowing his eyes. "Let her go."

Speaking these words, he released the strong energy building up inside him. It set fire to his nerves, and he gasped as he fell to his knees, holding himself steady on the ground. Still, he focused his mind to meet Eusine's in the astral plane. The forest around him shimmered in and out of his eyes' vision as his will took over. Eusine _would _meet him. He _would _tell him all Dominik wished to know.

_You..._ Eusine faintly sent.

Though half conscious of doing so, Dominik rose slowly and approached the man. He grabbed his arm, and placed his other hand on the side of Eusine's head, touching his skin. _Tell me, _he commanded with all the force of Neriah's hypnosis.

Eusine trembled, which was all he could do. Everything within his mind became Dominik's to explore. A boy in high school, he performed magic tricks in Cerulean City with an alakazam as his stage partner. It was the only thing he could do well, and the only way to earn an honest living, especially with the dishonest and unscrupulous things he did on the side. From various people, he heard an old legend about a pokemon god who lived as the north wind, and purified the water, along with, possibly, the souls of the cursed. He longed for the blessing of Suicune after that, so much that he traveled to Ecruteak City and seduced the gym leader, the closest follower of the legend, into helping him...

Eusine begged faintly for Dominik to stop invading his mind. _I will, _Dominik told him. _And you will go back to your home and forget about Suicune. Even if you find him, he could never purify you. Go, and change your ways on your own. _With that, he released Eusine, stumbling backwards and rasping.

"Dominik..." Morty whispered.

_Neriah, is it done? It's too much... I feel... too much..._

Through tears of rage and shame, Eusine grabbed Amara again and thrust her at Dominik. "Take her, then!" he shouted. "I never want to see this place again!"

She could not stop herself in time, and he lacked the physical ability to move out of the way. Amara collapsed on top of him, and the combined energy of Neriah and Dominik both raged inside the trifling body of a thirteen-year-old boy. In the instant they touched, he shattered her strong blockade as if it were made of thin glass.

A teacher announced to the class that a fourteen-year-old student should return to preschool and learn how to read. Elsewhere, her only friends were highly praised for their respective brilliance and family achievements. A future genius and a future pokemon master, two things she could never become, thanks to her many misfortunes.

At home, there were many guns, and constant talk of shooting the wild pikachu that kept eating vegetables from the garden. When she fed the creature herself, she was reprimanded severely. Though she thought they secretly pitied her, she begged her friends for help anyway, since she no longer had any pride. He gave her a badge, a secret collaborative project. He was going to teach her how to use it, but he couldn't foresee what it would do to his mind...

The power he touched was that of darkness, of causing fear, if not death. He lost control of it, and the visions that awoke in her innocent mind were too forceful to stop. Her two friends left her alone to die. Her pikachu lay bleeding from repeated gunshots. Classmates, teachers, and family surrounded her and pointed, chanting a name over and over, the name she was given at birth from one who never wanted her...

In an instant, the visions were severed from Dominik's mind. Morty had pulled Amara away from him and wrenched the badge out of the psychic's clutched hand. He felt Neriah's spirit leave him, and the surrounding forest returned to his sight vividly as his head cleared. But the horrified faces of Morty and, worse, Amara, gave him a sickly, heart-wrenching feeling. Tears streamed down Amara's face as she pushed Morty aside and fled beyond her tree into the woods.

"Amara!" Dominik cried, scrambling to his feet to pursue her. A bolt of lightning struck just inches away from him. Tenrai leapt in front of him, growling. He was about to ignore the jolteon's warning and chase after her, but Morty clutched his arm. _Let her go. You'd do worse to follow._

_No! I can't! I have to find her! _Dominik wrenched himself away from the gym leader, but Tenrai barked, launching another thunderbolt at Dominik's feet. Helplessly, he stared in the direction Amara had fled. His eyes stung.

"I'll take you back to the pokemon center," Morty said gently. "I know you don't want to leave her alone, but that's what she needs right now. Her pokemon will console her."

"I won't!" Dominik yelled. "I promised! I'll never leave her!"

"Just for now," Morty insisted.

Dominik stared at the patient gym leader, and his tears spilled out freely. He had broken through her walled-up memories, those which she had worked so hard to forget. He'd wanted to know all about her past, but not this way. Now he was no better than the childhood friend she once trusted, the boy who had lost control of his powers and attacked her mind.

He made the badge. He gave it to her. His sharp features and the shade of his hair were etched in Dominik's memory forever. If he ever met this boy, who would now be nineteen or twenty, he would make him pay.

----

She wasn't in the treehouse when Dominik returned for his bag. He waited at the foot of the giant tree during the daylight, and at dusk, he had no choice but to return to town. The next day, Kira waited there, and he knew that Amara couldn't have run away forever. Neriah sought out Tenrai, and he reported, through the espeon, that Amara would definitely not be traveling with Dominik. He was disappointed beyond measure, but he knew there would be no convincing her otherwise.

Back at the pokemon center, he checked the date on his pokedex calender. Tomorrow would be July first. There was still plenty of time to get to Olivine before the twentieth, when he would meet Lance, but Dominik felt that the longer he lingered in the forest, the more Amara would stay hidden. Morty might check on her after he returned from taking Eusine to Cerulean, and Dominik could contact him then. He debated staying in the city until then, if not for Lance. If he did nothing else in Johto, Dominik wanted to meet Lance one last time and decline his offer. He had no use for an elite title. What he wanted now was to stay near Amara until he earned her trust again, no matter how long it took. No amount of prestige would help him with that.

The next day, the first of July, he returned to Raikou's shrine one last time. In the offering space on the stone structure, he placed his J.R.R. Torkoal book, which contained a letter, folded up and sticking out of the pages. He pressed his hands together and bowed his head, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he descended the ancient staircase and left the forest with Leilani and a reluctant Neriah.

_Amara,_

_You gave me your badge, and I wanted to give you something in return. I know you'll enjoy this book. It's my favorite, especially the part where the heroes meet the powerful and beautiful queen of the forest. As for me, perhaps I'll find a volcano (you'll see when you read)._

_This might be a poor way to explain how I feel, but if I saw you again, I wouldn't be able to say it properly. I don't know if you even want to see me. But I couldn't leave without putting it somewhere, so even if you never read this, at least it exists._

_Though I regret the invasion, I saw so much of your mind that it has changed me forever. I feel that now you are a part of me. What I regret almost as much as the act is that I couldn't give you any of my memories in return. I wanted to create new ones for you, happier memories to replace so many sad ones. Maybe I still can, if there is any future for us at all._

_I plan to practice meditating, so I can "see" Leilani and Neriah. I swear I'll never use the badge. Likewise, I doubt I will ever use telepathy again, either. It came to me suddenly only a few years ago, so maybe it will disappear just as quickly. I would gladly sacrifice my so-called talent, as well as all that makes me "gifted," if you would forgive me._

_Please take care of yourself. I shall pray to Raikou every day to watch over you._

_Love,_

_Dominik_

**End of Part One: Summer**

----

Author's Notes: I don't think there's anything to say. See you in Part Two.


End file.
